Florida crime rate drops despite increase in rapes, murder

There was a significant increase in murders, rapes and motor vehicle thefts in Florida last year, according to crime statistics released by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement on Friday. There were 1,040 murders in Florida last year, up from 984 the year before. That includes 767 murders involving guns, an increase of 11.2 percent. That’s the most murders in Florida since 2008, when FDLE reported 1,168. There were also 7,537 reported rapes in Florida, an increase of 6.1 percent…