Welcome to

Violence against Floridians because of their race, religion or sexual orientation has dropped dramatically since the state began keeping hate crime statistics.

2010 numbers released this week show 149 hate crimes statewide. When the state first began taking record in the 90’s there were more than 300 a year. Jennifer Meale a spokeswoman with the Attorney General’s office says raising awareness of the crimes helps deter them.

“We believe that by understanding the prevalence of hate crimes in Florida we can help raise awareness and encourage Floridians to report hate crimes to local law enforcement agencies,” said Meale.

Of the hate crimes reported in 2010… About half the victims were targeted because of their race, 20 percent because of their religion and 20 percent because of their sexual orientation.