Orlando, Florida is known as the “Happiest Place on Earth” due to being the home of Walt Disney World, but it isn’t immune from the same crime problems that every city experiences. Orlando had at least 2,374 violent crimes in 2022, making 98% of other cities in the U.S. safer than “The City Beautiful.”
HomeSnacks .com used Saturday Night Science to report crime data in Orlando over the past eight years using the FBI crime explorer. Based on the most recently available data released October 17, 2023, it found the following about crime in Orlando:
- There were 15,114 total crimes committed in Orlando the last reporting year.
- On a rate basis, there were 4,864.3 total crimes per 100K people in Orlando.
- The overall crime rate in Orlando is 109.29% above the national average.
- Orlando ranks #278 safest out of 292 cities in Florida.
- Orlando ranks #9,366 safest out of 9,869 cities in the United States.
- There were 2,597 violent crimes in Orlando in the last reporting year.
- The violent crime rate in Orlando is 835.8 per 100,000 people.
- You have a 1 in 119.6 chance of being the victim of a violent crime in Orlando each year. That compares to a 1 in 260.7 chance statewide.
- That’s 126.02% higher than the national rate of 369.8 per 100,000 people.
- 117.89% higher than the Florida violent crime rate of 383.6 per 100,000 people.
Mercy Drive, Zip Code 32808, near the Central Florida Fairgrounds
Mercy Drive was ranked as the most dangerous area of Orlando by HomeSnacks.com, which derived crime rates by looking data from the FBI for Orlando and estimating down the Mercy Drive area, located near the Central Florida Fairgrounds, between Pine Hills Rd and Orange Blossom Trail.
Key crime stats about Mercy Drive, Orlando include:
- Mercy Drive’s crime rates were 174% higher than the Orlando average and 445% higher than the national average.
- There were 198 total crimes in Mercy Drive in the last reporting year.
- Overall, crime in Mercy Drive is 449.74% above the national average.
Lorna Doone, Zip Code 32805, near Camping World Stadium
- Overall, crime in Lorna Doone is 197.39% above the national average.
- Violent crimes in Lorna Doone are 235% higher than the national average
- In Lorna Doone you have a 1 in 14 chance of becoming a victim of crime
- Lorna Doone is more dangerous than 91% of other neighborhoods across Florida.
Americana Bvld, Texas Ave and Rio Grande Ave near Mall at Millennia, Zip Code 32839
One area of Orlando with a long history of violent crime activity is the Conroy Rd to Orange Blossom Trail and John Young Parkway within the 32839 zip code. The area includes the Mall at Millenia, a high-end shopping destination for tourists and locals alike. Despite the glamorous surrounding environment near the mall, locals will be the first to warn you about the surprisingly high number of shootings, carjackings and kidnappings that have occurred in parking lots around the mall, as well as apartment complexes within a mile of the mall.
An unsolved cold case near the mall that gained national coverage was the disappearance of Jennifer Kesse, who has been missing since January 23, 2006. Kesse’s last known location was at her condominium at Mosaic at Millenia on Conroy Road. Authorities located her vehicle, a black 2006 Chevy Malibu, at a different residential complex called Huntington on the Green about a mile away from Mosaic at Millenia on Jan. 26, 2006, after a neighbor reported seeing her missing car on television. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement took over the case in November of 2022, and the change could allow for new testing of potential DNA evidence from Kesse’s car that her family hopes still exists.
Many crimes are committed in retail areas in blocks where few people live. Red areas on the violent crime rate map do not always indicate danger for the Orlando area residents who live there.
More issues arise with places like airports, parks, and schools. Major airports, of which the Orlando area has 2, always give the appearance of crime hotbeds due to the massive flow of people compared to the population zones nearby. Parks and designated recreational areas, of which the Orlando area has 92, have the same problem. Of the Orlando area’s 2,673,376 residents, few live near recreational areas. Because of Orlando’s top ranking in the nation as a tourist destination, crime rates may appear higher even for safe parks. Ultimately crime happens where people are, whether they live there or not. Before writing off an area as unsafe, look at both the crime rate and total crime maps, then consider nearby destinations that people may be visiting.
North of downtown, just below the city’s border with Winter Park, neighborhoods in the 32803 zip code rank highest in central Florida for crime rate by a significant margin. The Orlando zip code of 32803 is ranked 46.5 for violent crime and 82.1 for property crime. The US averages are 22.7 and 35.4 for those respective crimes.
Other noticeable high-crime area in the Orlando metro area is in the Apopka area, to the north, and zip code 32712. According to attorneys at the criminal defense law firm of Moses and Rooth, assault crimes far outstrip all other categories in this area, pushing the zip code to No. 9 on the crime index.