Florida Vehicle Thefts Are Down Overall, But Lee County Is Up 4%
This week the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), released data on Florida vehicle thefts as well as theft trends nationwide. Data comparing 2023 to the prior year shows that although thefts were up in the United States, the amount of vehicles stolen in Florida were actually down. Hillsborough county actually showed a 9% yoy decrease in vehicle thefts. But Southwest Florida did not fare as well in the study, the data shows that vehicle theft in Lee County is actually up.
Florida Vehicle Thefts – The Good News
Starting this on a positive note, even though Florida’s population grew 1.64% in 2023, the number of overall vehicle thefts went down. More people and less vehicle theft is the opposite of the national trend. According to NICB ” Last year, more than one million vehicles were reported stolen and overall vehicle thefts increased about one percent nationwide from 1,008,756 in 2022 to 1,020,729 in 2023.” Here’s how Florida stacks up against some of the other states. When it comes to ranking by theft rate per 100,000 residents instead of volume of total thefts, Florida ranks 33rd in the nation.
The 8% decline is for Washington State, not DC. The District Of Columbia actually leads the country with a 64% increase yoy. In the 2023 data, DC tops the county in per capita vehicle thefts with 1,149.71 thefts per 100,000 people.
So as vehicle thefts increased overall in the United States and hundreds of thousands of people moved here to the Sunshine State, the number of reported Florida vehicle thefts actually went down. That’s pretty impressive, except that not all of Florida’s counties fared so well.
Lee County vehicle thefts were up in 2023
Southwest Florida, more specifically – Lee County, did not fare as well in the data. Looking back to some of the trends in 2023 we’re reminded of the Kia TIk Tok challenge. Lehigh Acres seemed to be especially prone to thieves using a Tik Tok ‘hack’ to steal Kia cars. I personally know 2 people in Lee County that had vehicles stolen last year.
Here’s the top 8 counties (each FL county not listed saw less than 1,000 thefts last year) within Florida:
Although Lee County saw an increase in vehicle thefts in 2023, it’s nothing compared to the increase reported in Duval County.
Although Florida vehicle thefts were down slightly in 2023, the nationwide trend is up. Be aware that even in gated communities, criminals are targeting your vehicles. Keep them locked and before the weather gets too hot, maybe clean out the garage a bit so you don’t have to park on the street.
Now, let’s take a look at which vehicles are being targeted the most here in Florida.
The Top 10 Most Stolen Vehicles In The State of Florida
10. Hyundai Sonata
Hyundai Motor Company shows off a 2019 Sonata Hybrid at the Chicago Auto Show on February 8, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
The Hyundai Sonata comes in 10th on the list of most stolen vehicles in Florida. 577 were stolen last year with the most common model year taken being the 2013. This was one of the vehicles documented online on how easy they were to steal. The only surprise it’s that more weren’t stolen,
9. Honda CR-V
(Photo by Alex Edelman/Getty Images)
The Honda CR-V is a very common vehicle here in Florida. 580 were stolen last year with the most common year taken being the 2021. This car is victim of global supply and demand. If your Honda CR-V is stolen, it may end up in a shipping container heading overseas.
8. Dodge Charger
(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
This car may rise in popularity now that Dodge is discontinuing the gas powered models. 639 were stolen last year in Florida with the most targeted model year being 2021. This car was targeted after it was shown online that if you broke a window and climbed in you could put the car in neutral and push it down the street. From there it takes thieves about 90 seconds to program a new key FOB and then drive away.
7. Honda Civic
(Photo by Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images)
772 Honda Civics were stolen last year in Florida. The 2020 model was the favorite. In 2022 a hacker developed a way to remotely unlock and start these cars. Made them waaaaay too easy to steal until that vulnerability was fixed.
6. Toyota Corolla
(Photo by Robert Hradil/Getty Images)
There’s so many Toyota Corollas in Florida it’s no wonder this car made the list. 887 were stolen last year with the 2021 model being the most common.
5. Toyota Camry
(Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Like the Corolla, there are a LOT of these cars on the road here in Florida. 989 stolen here in the state and the 2021 model was the one most targeted. Throw an Apple Air Tag in the back for a cheap piece of mind.
4. Chevrolet Pickup (Full Size)
(Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Tops in the nation, but 4th on the Florida list. Full size Chevy pickups had 992 reported stolen in Florida last year. The 2021 was the most common. There’s a theory that these trucks are being targeted for their the catalytic converters.
3. Nissan Altima
(Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
Another very common vehicle on the Florida roads, 1,000 Nissan Altimas were reported stolen in Florida last year. The 2015 was the year most swiped. If you have an Altima you need to read up on a “relay attack.”
2. Honda Accord
(Photo by Thananuwat Srirasant/Getty Images)
Honda Accords were the 2nd most targeted vehicle in Florida last year. 1,003 were taken with the 2021 being the most targeted.
1. Ford Pickup (Full Size)
(Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
And this is where we see the jump. 2,030 Ford pickups were stolen in Florida. The most common being the 2006 model. There are a lot of these trucks here in Southwest Florida, but one of the reasons so many are stolen may seem kind of simple. Some of the models are just too big to fit in the garage. Since the truck is in the driveway it’s very vulnerable to a relay attack.
