Florida is basically a playground for residents and tourists. Its beautiful cities, parks, and waterways draw people out to recreate in the great outdoors all year round. However, some spots in Florida are dangerous. From traffic fatalities to violent crime to natural disasters, here are eight of Florida’s most dangerous and deadly places. How many of them do you frequent? 

1. Mangonia Park
Phillip Pessar/flickr
According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, you have a 1 in 24 chance of being a victim of violent crime in Mangonia Park. The unemployment rate in this town is 26.7%, and 31.4% of its residents have less than a high school education.
2. I-95 In The Jacksonville Area
Jimmy Emerson DVM/flickr
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, this stretch of highway has the highest fatality rate in the country. The Florida Highway Patrol reported 1,713 accidents between April 2014 and April 2015. Those crashes included 573 injuries and 25 fatalities.
3. Fuller Warren Bridge
Michael Curi/flickr
Speaking of I-95, Fuller Warren Bridge is particularly dangerous. The bridge handles about 150,000 vehicles every day; 280 accidents were reported there last year.
4. Your Backyard
NY State IPM Program at Cornell University/flickr
Mosquitoes carry dangerous and deadly viruses including West Nile, Eastern equine encephalitis and St. Louis encephalitis. Most summers, Jefferson, Bay, Polk, St. John’s and Monroe county health departments all issue mosquito-borne illness advisories. Standing water, in pools, buckets and other containers all draw mosquitoes.

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5. Everglades National Park
Vincent Lammin/flickr
Florida’s 1.5 million acre park is home to all kinds of things that will kill you: snakes, alligators and mosquitoes. However, these dangerous animals aren’t the main cause of injury and death; you’re much more likely to get lost, suffer a fall or drown. Learn more about the beautiful side of this park in this article!
6. Vista del Lago Blvd And Route 192
Google Earth
This intersection is one of five that once made TIME magazine’s list of Most Dangerous Intersections in the Country. Accidents, both vehicle and pedestrian, are commonplace here, and fatalities average about six per year. Yikes!
7. Florida Coast
Bernt Rostad/flickr
Hurricanes are both dangerous and deadly...and an occasional occurrence along Florida’s coast. Several particularly brutal hurricanes have brought Florida to its knees throughout the years. The 1935 category 5 hurricane in the Florida Keys region killed more than 400 people. Hurricane Andrew in 1992 was the second costliest in U.S. History, and Hurricane Wilma caused $16.8 billion in damages, particularly in Broward county. These are just a few of the many hurricanes that Florida has faced in its history. Click here to learn about the five worst hurricanes to ever strike Florida.
8. Florida’s Lakes, Ponds and Swamps
Rafał Próchniak/flickr
Alligator attacks are actually fairly rare in Florida; just 24 people have been killed by these beasts since 1948. The attacks occur in lakes, swamps, ponds and near bodies of water---which of course, are commonplace across the state.

Want to learn more about some of Florida’s dangerous places? Here’s a list of the Most Dangerous Towns In Florida.

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Most Dangerous Places in Florida

Tori Jane | January 24, 2022

What are some dangerous towns in Florida?  

We have some bad news: Florida has consistently ranked among the least safe states to live in, and although there are definitely plenty of pockets of safety all over the state, some towns are still a lot more dangerous to live in than others. For example, according to our friends at 247WallSt.com, towns that make the “top 25” list of the least safe include Tallahassee, with 773.4 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2020, and Orlando, which had 860.4 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2020. Worse still are towns like Bunnell, which reported 1,000.3 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2020, and Lake City, with 1,556.1 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in the same year. The #1 most dangerous town in Florida is Florida City, which reported an astonishing 2,908.8 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2020. For more information about 2021’s numbers, check this article out.  

What are some scary natural dangers in Florida?  

Florida is one of those states that seems to be teeming with all sorts of naturally dangerous things, be they animals, plants, weather, or anything else the natural world might throw at us. We’re chock-full of venomous snakes, sneaky gators, and many more predators that would love to get a bite out of us, too. So what are some of these threats? Well, some natural dangers in Florida include some of our critters, like Coral Snakes, Water Moccasins, and Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes, and even larger beasts like alligators and even some crocodiles, too! Weather can be a risk as well; hurricanes are common, and Florida often bears the brunt of the strongest of the storms. Occasionally, flooding and tornadoes are a risk as well – especially during hurricane season. Florida is a lovely place to live, as long as you know how to play it safe, both in the cities and out in the sticks.  

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