Murders in Florida rise in first half of 2018

Murders in Florida increased in the first half of this year — and a key factor was the Parkland massacre.

Including the 17 students and staff gunned down at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, the number of murders rose from 531 to 545.

But the overall crime rate dropped 8 percent compared with the first six months of last year, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s 2018 SemiAnnual Uniform Crime Report.

Statewide crime categories included:

■ Aggravated assaults, down 7 percent.

■ Robbery, down nearly 11 percent.

■ Burglary, down 18 percent. ■ Theft, down 6 percent ■ Auto theft, down 4 percent ■ Sexual assaults, up nearly 4 percent.

Governor Rick Scott credited law enforcement officers across the state for the decline, with 24,564 fewer reported crimes.

"None of this success would be possible without the incredible work and constant sacrifice of the brave members of Florida’s law enforcement who have helped us reach a 47-year low in crime," he said, in a statement.

In South Florida, overall crime was:

■ Down nearly 13 percent in Broward, although there were 57 murders in the first half of this year compared with 51 in the first six months of 2017.

■ Down 13 percent in Palm Beach County, with murders down from 57 to 45.

■ Down 9 percent in MiamiDade, with murders up from 92 to 100.