Parkland One Of 5 Safest Cities In Florida

AVENTURA, FL — Despite experiencing one of the worst school massacres in U.S. history, the city of Parkland remains one of the five safest cities in Florida, according to a new study released Monday. Parkland ranked fourth on the list behind only Marco Island, Key Biscayne and Weston. The rankings were based on 2016 statistics.

"The 2018 Valentine’s Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, left the state’s fourth-safest city — and the nation — in disbelief," explained the independent review and comparison website SafeWise in releasing its fifth annual list of the 20 safest cities in the Sunshine State.

"While it was a heartbreaking reminder that even traditionally low-crime areas aren’t immune to tragedy, we admire how Parkland’s citizens are embracing the future while honoring the 17 people who perished," explained SafeWise, which focuses on home security and safety issues.

The organization's Krystal Rogers told Patch that the study was based on 2016 FBI statistics, the most recent available. As such, the statistics did not reflect the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre.

"I think in general, this speaks to the fact that gun violence can happen anywhere, even in historically very safe communities," Rogers said, noting that Parkland also ranked fourth in 2017.

Out of the top 20 safest communities, Miami-Dade County had the most with five followed by nearby Broward with four; Collier, Pinellas and Volusia with two each; Palm Beach, Charlotte, Sarasota, Lee and Okaloosa Counties each with one community on the list.

Here are the top 20 safest communities in Florida:

1. Marco Island (Collier): Population: 17,947; Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.11; Property crimes per 1,000: 5.24; Total crime: 2.13 percent violent, 97.87 percent property
2. Key Biscayne (Miami-Dade): Population: 13,113; Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.15; Property crimes per 1,000: 11.82; Total crime: 1.29 percent violent, 98.71 percent property
3. Weston (Broward): Population: 70,882; Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.51; Property crimes per 1,000: 4.84; Total crime: 10.50 percent violent, 89.50 percent property
4. Parkland (Broward): Population: 31,571; Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.57; Property crimes per 1,000: 5.38; Total crime: 10.59 percent violent, 89.41 percent property
5. Punta Gorda (Charlotte): Population: 18,466; Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.65; Property crimes per 1,000: 11.48; Total crime: 5.66 percent violent, 94.34 percent property
6. North Palm Beach (Palm Beach): Population: 13,023; Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.84; Property crimes per 1,000: 13.21; Total crime: 6.40 percent violent, 93.60 percent property
7. Naples (Collier): Population: 21,917; Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.87; Property crimes per 1,000: 18.62; Total crime: 4.66 percent violent, 95.34 percent property
8. Cooper City (Broward): Population: 36,900; Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.95; Property crimes per 1,000: 11.87; Total crime: 7.99 percent violent, 92.01 percent property
9. Edgewater (Volusia): Population: 21,729; Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.97; Property crimes per 1,000: 11.41; Total crime: 8.47 percent violent, 91.53 percent property
10. Miami Lakes (Miami-Dade): Population: 31,279; Violent crimes per 1,000: 0.99; Property crimes per 1,000: 18.89; Total crime: 5.25 percent violent, 94.75 percent property
11. Port Orange (Volusia): Population: 60,546; Violent crimes per 1,000: 1.01; Property crimes per 1,000: 24.39; Total crime: 4.13 percent violent, 95.87 percent property
12. Venice (Sarasota): Population: 22,514; Violent crimes per 1,000: 1.07; Property crimes per 1,000: 16.61; Total crime: 6.42 percent violent, 93.58 percent property
13. Sunny Isles Beach (Miami-Dade): Population: 22,374; Violent crimes per 1,000: 1.07; Property crimes per 1,000: 15.64; Total crime: 6.86 percent violent, 93.14 percent property
14. Safety Harbor (Pinellas): Population: 17,573; Violent crimes per 1,000: 1.14; Property crimes per 1,000: 13.88; Total crime: 8.20 percent violent, 91.80 percent property
15. Oldsmar (Pinellas): Population: 14,283; Violent crimes per 1,000: 1.19; Property crimes per 1,000: 29.34; Total crime: 4.06 percent violent, 95.94 percent property
16. Coconut Creek (Broward): Population: 60,633; Violent crimes per 1,000: 1.20; Property crimes per 1,000: 20.60; Total crime: 5.84 percent violent, 94.16 percent property
17. Cape Coral (Lee): Population: 179,631; Violent crimes per 1,000: 1.25; Property crimes per 1,000: 17.15; Total crime: 7.27 percent violent, 92.73 percent property
18. Pinecrest (Miami-Dade): Population: 19,692; Violent crimes per 1,000: 1.27; Property crimes per 1,000: 29.00; Total crime: 4.38 percent violent, 95.62 percent property
19. Doral (Miami-Dade): Population: 58,309; Violent crimes per 1,000: 1.37; Property crimes per 1,000: 29.40; Total crime: 4.67 percent violent, 95.33 percent property
20. Niceville (Okaloosa): Population: 15,142; Violent crimes per 1,000: 1.39; Property crimes per 1,000: 16.97; Total crime: 8.17 percent violent, 91.83 percent property

Click here to read more on the study.

Parkland students head to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School following the Valentine's Day shooting. Photo by Paul Sciccchitano.