Boat and Personal Security in FL Keys

[Lost Horizons]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Florida is full of thieves. Anything that isn't chained down is going to be stolen eventually. The whole state is like this.

I lived in Miami for 10 years. You are a liar.

[Al B]

Really bugged me on my last fishing journey too Marathon ,

In past we really enjoyed a small mom & pop motel
Pastel tropical look , OLD motel .
Great for a few days get away ,
Once boat was launched we were able too leave boat in water , behind
our room

Not a Hyatt Regency ,
Room was OK , old smell , White washed , clean sheets , kitchenette pool ,
Typical of older motels in the Keys that line Over Seas Highway

Last season we trailered our boat from our home Port , Cape Canaveral for a
few days of fishing ,
We get too our favorite motel ,
WHOLLY COW , IT CHANGED
Many of the rooms had their front doors open , ?
Grungy looking guys / women , beer in their hands . Sitting in front
Run down vehicles parked in front of the rooms
Motel became a welfare motel ,
Checked our room , we split , had enough time too find another place

Finally found another place that was reasonable , ran a tight ship ,

New buildings owned by Franchised Hotel/ Motels all over Keys .
Called Survival for the mom & pop operations

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Lost Horizons

I lived in Miami for 10 years. You are a liar.

No you didn't. You are a liar.

Great argument, right?

Did you have a boat or are you talking about your experience with zero theft in your Brickell high-rise apartment?

Was this more than a decade ago?

[dtmays]

[QUOTE=Chotu;3083536]Nonsense. I'm robbed on an annual basis from my boat in Florida.

[QUOTE=Chotu;3083536]These are nowhere near "one isolated experience"
Plus, other posters are posting similar experiences.

[QUOTE=Chotu;3083536]Your experience is more of an isolated and lucky one. Don't leave your boat for a second in this state.

I agree with S/V Illusion. I have lived on my boat for the past 7 years in Florida, both coasts, and have never had anything stolen, and rarely heard anyone else report things stolen. We do not lock our boat, and we leave the boat for a month at a time without incident. I don't know what you arfe doing wrong.

[Columbus]

Originally Posted by mjgill1

My wife and I are planning to cruise the FL Keys. We have heard that there are pick pockets in Key West and other touristy areas down there? Tell me it isn't so!
Is there a resource out there that will tell about crime in different areas. Any suggestions from folks with experience cruising down there? Any suggestions for boat and dingy security? I'm not uptight about it, but my wife is, which means I now am. I am looking for general practice suggestions for the area. Nothing extravagant. I guess better safe than sorry, just more to think about though. Ugh.
Any info is appreciated.
Thanks,

We’re trying a security system called Pirate Lights from www.FreeSpiritGear.com. Just installed and will report back on how it works. It sets an activity zone around the boat and activates lights and a siren when an intruder gets too close. Activated by a key fob when you leave the boat. Anyone with experience with this system?

[Lost Horizons]

Originally Posted by Chotu

No you didn't. You are a liar.

Great argument, right?

Did you have a boat or are you talking about your experience with zero theft in your Brickell high-rise apartment?

Was this more than a decade ago?

I had a boat. In Marathon and then in Black Point marina in Miami. Less than 10 years ago. And a house in Palmetto Bay, which I still have.

[Scout 30]

I've lived on the water in Florida for the last 30 years. Every time I talk to my neighbor whose been here longer than I have he talks about how many thieves there are in our area & how you've always gotta keep a look out. I don't agree or worry about it. Neither of us has ever had anything stolen.

[slug]

Originally Posted by mjgill1

My wife and I are planning to cruise the FL Keys. We have heard that there are pick pockets in Key West and other touristy areas down there? Tell me it isn't so!
Is there a resource out there that will tell about crime in different areas. Any suggestions from folks with experience cruising down there? Any suggestions for boat and dingy security? I'm not uptight about it, but my wife is, which means I now am. I am looking for general practice suggestions for the area. Nothing extravagant. I guess better safe than sorry, just more to think about though. Ugh.
Any info is appreciated.
Thanks,

In Florida you must be street smart

Hard to describe what street smart means

Nothing heavy

Perhaps.... being aware of your environment

Careful were you park your car , carefull were you walk at night , careful with who you do business

[Shrew]

Honestly, incidents such as muggings, pick-pockets, general thievery has a lot more to do about how you conduct yourself than where you are. This is not hard and fast, but some general thoughts.

Do you dress like a tourist with money?
--> When we're out cruising, we don't look like we came from a boat. We don't wear our best clothes and we don't wear jewelry. My wife has nice watches, but she wears a $30 timex when we're out cruising. We don't wear boat industry swag either.

Are you carrying a wallet in your back pocket? Is your wife carrying a purse?
--> WHY?? We carry money clips in our front pocket. The kind that can hold a couple of credit cards and a clip for some cash. Leave the 20 various credit, store and membership cards somewhere else. (Your back will thank you).

Does your stuff look shiny and new?
--> A new dinghy motor runs exactly the same with an ugly cowling.

Do you lock your stuff up?
--> Oars, dinghy motor? We anchor. If I were in a questionable area, I might cable lock the anchor if I were in a marina.

Do you flash wads of large bills when paying the bill at a bar?
--> We use Debit cards when we can. I wrap the smallest bills on the outside of the wad in the money clip. I don't carry more than about $100 dollars on me.

Don't make yourself look like a mark and you will fly under the radar. Stay on populated streets, walk with your head up, and look around frequently. Avoid wandering around with maps (Take them and use them in public places, then put them away. A tourist map sticking out of a pocket is a give away. Don't go on buying sprees at the shops and walk around with a lot of open bags. (We prefer to buy something, then put it in a backpack.....Lots of people use backpacks and walk to work, especially in touristy areas where they can't afford to live. A backpack isn't really a tell that you're a tourist).

Just a few thoughts. Admittedly, I'm also a stocky guy. I'm not tall, but I'm wide (not fat). I've been lucky enough to be in the "he might not be able to take us, but we're going to walk away with a limp" category. This makes me a less desirable target. As I get older this will probably be less and less the case, though.

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by slug

In Florida you must be street smart

True. But then, I don't think I have ever been anywhere that you didn't need to be at least a little bit street smart.


Okay, maybe when I was on the island of Laucala, in Fiji. Other than that, though...

[FLBushman]

Y'all are what keep us Florida boys afloat. Please bring more fancy toys, so we can help you to part with your excesses. I live on the East coast of Florida, smack dab in the middle (Space Coast area). I grew up here, went overseas for 40 years, and now I'm back and nothing has changed. The world's largest trailer park: The State of Florida (email me for link on Amazon Merch where a renown local artist has the t-shirt). Florida is just like Asia, Africa, actually, just about anywhere I've spent a lot of time serving god and country. Thieves believe that the value you hold to your possessions is directly proportional to the amount of security or care that you apply to those possessions. if you leave your bike unlocked and go into the grocery store for a five minute quick shop, plan on walking home. If you leave your kayak unsecured, or locked with a flimsy bicycle lock, plan on not going kayaking next week. The warm climate has pretty much made the place homeless home. There''s homeless camps that have mail service. That, coupled with the fact that of a vast number of residents that coddle to the homeless and thieves (poor babies, they can't help it; they need help) only exacerbates the situation. I've seen beggars on street corners that have credit card devices on their phone in case you have no cash to spare. Yea; Florida welcomes any and all rich Yankees for a reason. BTW, I use the term "trailer park" as a term of endearment, as I live in one myself within walking distance of the dock, which, when I went there yesterday morning, was missing my 1957 aluminum Feather Craft. No worries, I'll find it. I always do.

[slug]

Originally Posted by denverd0n

True. But then, I don't think I have ever been anywhere that you didn't need to be at least a little bit street smart.


Okay, maybe when I was on the island of Laucala, in Fiji. Other than that, though...

In the US all the trash from up north filters down south .. to the bottom

Florida is at the bottom

As a result , Very many bottom feeders

Normally your ok if you avoid the feeding zones

[Kita]

Originally Posted by Columbus

We’re trying a security system called Pirate Lights from www.FreeSpiritGear.com. Just installed and will report back on how it works. It sets an activity zone around the boat and activates lights and a siren when an intruder gets too close. Activated by a key fob when you leave the boat. Anyone with experience with this system?

Oh the Pelicans are going to enjoy that!

[atlroofman]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Florida is full of thieves. Anything that isn't chained down is going to be stolen eventually. The whole state is like this.

From my boat, I've had stolen:

Primary Anchor (right off the bow!)
Bicycle
Kayak
Dinghy
Break in and Stolen Valuables

This happened at different times from Jacksonville to Miami to Tampa. No part of this state is safe. Expect people to steal from you at every opportunity. It's the worst place in the east coast for it.

Don't worry about pickpockets even in NYC or Paris. . Just keep valuables in your front pocket, be aware of your personal space and you'll be fine. Have the wife hold her purse properly, although that's not something I've seen in Florida. Have not seen purse snatching or pickpockets.

YES Big city Florida is like big city anywhere but Florida's big city's are on the water.
Laid back Small coastal town Florida is where it's at. Olde Tyme Fla- Love it

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by slug

In the US all the trash from up north filters down south .. to the bottom

Florida is at the bottom

As a result , Very many bottom feeders

Normally your ok if you avoid the feeding zones

That must mean the biggest pieces get hung up further north.

Who is taking the most? The petty thieves you find at any resort town when you don’t secure your loose articles, or the Beltway bandits who pre-filter your tax dollars before they reach any useful endeavor?

The people in Florida come from everywhere else. Mostly good people, but some don’t behave.