PORT ST.LUCIE NOT THE 'SAFEST' AS CRIME DROPS FOR 14TH YEAR IN FLORIDA

Port St. Lucie Is "Florida's Safest City" No More

After a seven-year stretch with the lowest crime rate among
populations higher than 75,000, Port St. Lucie fell to second best
Tuesday, according to 2005 crime statistics compiled by the Florida
Department of Law Enforcement.

Coral Springs in Broward County took the honor by dropping its crime
rate by 17 percent last year to make it even better than Port St.
Lucie's total with a 10 percent drop.

The crime rate compares crime to population and arrives at a number
of crimes per 100,000 residents.

Port St. Lucie Police Chief John Skinner said the "safest city" title
doesn't come with a trophy or prize, but it was a nice way to
illustrate safe streets in the face of phenomenal growth. Some crime
did rise in the city, but Skinner said that was to be expected.

"It's consistent with a city that's growing and I think, frankly,
it's pretty good," he said.

Overall, Florida's crime rate dropped for the 14th straight year in 2005.

Fort Pierce's crime rate dropped by more than 5 percent, and
unincorporated Martin County was nearly 13 percent lower in 2005
compared with 2004.

Stuart's crime rate followed the trend by dropping more than 11 percent.

Only unincorporated St. Lucie County saw a rise in the crime rate
last year, with a 3 percent increase.

In Martin County, the only significant spike in 2005 was a 39 percent
jump in robberies. Officials say many of those crimes involve strong-
arm robberies in the Spanish-speaking community where workers tend to
carry cash and are thought by robbers to be less likely to report crimes.

"We have seen an increase in victimization of our recently arrived
immigrants," said Martin sheriff's Maj. William Snyder.

Snyder didn't want to identify any specific areas, but daily reports
show many of the crimes are reported in the Golden Gate area south of
Stuart and Indiantown, where there are significant immigrant populations.

The department has concentrated crime prevention efforts and tactical
units in those areas, but cultural differences make it harder to
reach potential victims who may fear law and distrust law enforcement.

Jeb Bush, in his eighth and final year as governor, attributed low
statewide rates in part to the anti-crime policies he signed into law
early in his term, particularly the "10-20-life" bill increasing
penalties for gun crimes and the three-strikes bill cracking down on
repeat offenders.

"All of these things have helped reduce crime rates in our state,"
Bush said. "The net result is that the people that commit violent
crimes are in prison now, rather than getting out on early release to
commit more crimes."

But Bush could not explain why murder rates in two major cities have
skyrocketed this year.

"I cannot honestly tell you what the reasons are for the upsurge in
violence in Orlando ... and Jacksonville this year," he said.