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Cape Coral second safest city

Cape Coral is the second safest big city in the state, according to 2010 crime rates released by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Port St. Lucie edged out the Cape for the top spot among cities with 100,000 or more residents.

"From being the capital in foreclosures to being second in safety, that's a good thing," said Mike Quaintance, president of the Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce. "I'll take that any day." Quaintance said safety falls among the top three factors potential residents ask about when they call the chamber, along with education and jobs.As a result, he said the ranking will help draw more residents to the area who, in turn, will help local businesses flourish. "It allows for new business opportunities as those people relocate here and transfer their wealth to the area," Quaintance said.

There were 4,063 crimes, ranging from larceny to murder, committed in the city of 165,000 last year, or 2,467 crimes per 100,000 residents. Port St. Lucie, population 156,000, saw 2,301 crimes per 100,000 residents. Mayor John Sullivan said the Cape's low crime rate doesn't surprise him, as the city often places among the safest in the state.

"(The police) have been doing good all along," he said. "They're doing their jobs." The Cape may have slipped in the rankings compared to last year when, according to former Chief Rob Petrovich, the city's crime rate made it the safest among cities with 75,000 or more people. The department recently announced that 2010 marked a 20-year low in crime for the city. Chief Jay Murphy has maintained that citizens deserve a large portion of the credit for their willingness to call in crime. "This is proof of the teamwork between the residents of Cape Coral and their police department," Murphy said in a press release. The ranking was issued Thursday by Cape police and used crime data released by the FDLE last month.