Florida ranks third among the top states for business in America and has one of the most active commercial development industries in the country. However, that growth comes with a level of exposure that many business owners may not fully account for.
Florida's overall property crime rate is 19.3% below the national average. Although this sounds reassuring, the same data shows that property crimes in the state actually grew by 6% between 2023 and 2024, while the national average dropped by 9% over the same period.
Crime isn't a new threat for businesses, but what's worth paying attention to is which specific types of property crime are most likely to affect both commercial properties and construction jobsites.
In this article, we'll explore the 5 most common property crimes in Florida, how each one affects businesses in real terms, which industries are at the greatest risk, and how mobile surveillance is the most practical way to mitigate that risk.
What Counts as Property Crime?
Property crime is a relatively broad category, but it typically involves the theft or destruction of someone's property without necessarily involving any direct violence against a person.
According to the FBI, the main categories of property crimes include:
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Larceny-theft
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Burglary
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Motor vehicle theft
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Arson
Vandalism is also considered a crime against someone else's property, but rather than being recorded as one of the main offences, it's generally treated as a minor offence linked to a major property crime.
Florida has seen a consistent decline in residential property crimes over the last few years. However, the same can't be said for non-residential property crimes (including those targeting commercial buildings and construction jobsites) and motor vehicle theft offenses, which increased by 12% and 53%, respectively, in 2024.
The 5 Most Common Property Crimes in Florida
Florida's crime data points to 5 property offenses that consistently affect businesses across the state. While the risk profile looks different depending on whether you're running a construction site or managing a commercial building, the potential for financial and operational consequences can be serious across the board.
1. Larceny-theft
Larceny-theft is considered the unlawful taking of real or personal property without force or breaking and entering. It's the most frequently reported property crime in Florida, with 131,745 reports filed in the last year alone. It covers everything from shoplifting and package theft to tool and equipment theft on construction jobsites.
For jobsites and commercial properties, the financial exposure resulting from larceny-theft is significant. According to the National Equipment Register, construction site crime costs the U.S. construction industry up to $1 billion every single year. And what makes this number worse is that less than 25% of stolen construction materials are ever recovered, so in most cases, the loss is permanent.
Read more: Construction Site Theft Statistics
2. Burglary
Burglary is a felony offense, but it isn't quite the same as theft. It requires someone to enter or remain inside a building with the intent to commit a crime, including stealing a business's or a person's property.
Florida law (Florida Statute §810.02) doesn't require anyone to be physically present for the charge to qualify. For commercial properties, that means any unauthorized access/unlawful entry with criminal intent counts, regardless of whether the business is open or temporarily closed.
In 2023, construction jobsites accounted for nearly 13,000 recorded burglaries across the U.S, making them among the most commonly targeted types of commercial properties.
Besides the value of what is taken during a burglary, forced entry usually means that there may be physical damage to doors, windows, and other access points. This creates repair and insurance claim costs on top of the original loss.
3. Motor vehicle theft
Grand theft auto offenses include the theft (or attempted theft) of any vehicle, and they're consistently among the most reported crimes in Florida. For businesses that operate fleet vehicles or store heavy equipment on their jobsites overnight, the risk is substantial.
In 2023, a crime ring in Miami racked up $1.7 million in stolen property, including heavy machinery and construction equipment. Equipment and construction vehicles are commonly targeted on jobsites because they can be dismantled and sold for scrap.
Beyond the direct cost of the property stolen, businesses may also face higher fleet insurance premiums after repeated theft incidents. In the case of heavy plant equipment, replacements may also take weeks, pushing project schedules back.
4. Arson
In 2023, arson offenses in the United States cost commercial properties $73,010 in damages. Arson refers to deliberately setting fire to property and tends to be much less frequent than other property crimes in Florida, but the damage it can cause is disproportionately severe.
Construction jobsites usually have flammable materials stored on-site. This means that a single arson incident can cause a fire to quickly spread across a site and result in the loss of equipment, lengthy insurance and police investigations, extended project downtime, and, in some cases, regulatory compliance challenges if hazardous materials are involved.
5. Vandalism and property damage
Vandalism isn't its own category in national crime data, but it's a common and costly problem for businesses across the country. Graffiti, deliberate damage to equipment, broken windows and doors, and tampered access points can all lead to costly repair and replacement expenses, which are costs that are typically either uninsured or that can drive up insurance premiums over time.
Not only is there the financial impact of vandalism, but there is also commonly wider operational disruption attached to some incidents. For example, damaged access points can compromise jobsite security, and defaced signage may affect a business's professional reputation. Repeated incidents also invite opportunistic criminals, since it signals that a jobsite is poorly protected.
For construction sites and critical infrastructure in particular, damaged or tampered equipment may also create serious safety risks for workers.
Read more: How Safe is Your Job Site?
How Property Crime Impacts Florida Businesses
Property crime carries serious consequences for Florida businesses. The true cost extends well beyond the initial incident and can affect everything from your insurance premiums to your project timelines.
Direct financial loss
The most immediate consequence of property crime is the loss of physical assets, including stolen tools, missing materials, damaged vehicles, or vandalized equipment. For construction managers, this can have a major impact, particularly where high-value items like copper wiring or heavy machinery are targeted.
The National Equipment Register estimates that a single instance of equipment theft costs around $30,000, and that amount only accounts for what's taken, not the domino effect of operational disruptions.
Insurance premiums
Businesses with a long history of claims or those operating in higher-crime areas tend to pay more for their insurance premiums. Multiple claims in a short amount of time can also trigger policy reviews or coverage restrictions.
Businesses without security systems are up to 300% more likely to be targeted for burglaries, which is why insurance companies factor visible security measures into their assessments. This explains why investing in active surveillance can have a positive impact on your long-term premium costs.
Operational downtime
A burglary or equipment theft doesn't just cost money upfront; it also costs time. Waiting for law enforcement to complete their investigation and sourcing replacement equipment can pull business owners and managers away from running their projects.
When you're working with tight deadlines, even a short disruption can have a knock-on effect on your project completion.
Reputational risk
For businesses that deal directly with clients on-site, repeated security problems can affect their confidence in your operation. Clients and tenants who are aware of any ongoing crime issues may also question whether their own assets and personal property are at risk. In the long run, this can affect client relationships and impact the future and reputation of your business.
Legal and compliance costs
When your site has inadequate security, it can create a legal liability. This is especially true if a crime results in injury or any sort of damage that a business owner or construction manager had a responsibility to prevent.
If jobsites aren't properly secured, it can also put your company at risk for OSHA-related liability and personal injury claims.
Property devaluation
Ongoing or persistent vandalism and visible damage to a commercial property can lower the perceived (and appraised) value of the property. In Florida, where the market is already extremely competitive, this can cause extreme financial loss in terms of return on investment.
Which Florida Businesses Are Most at Risk of Property Crime?
Some industries are more exposed to property crime than others simply because of how they operate, what assets they hold, and how their physical sites are set up.
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Construction jobsites: These are among some of the most targeted properties because they're often associated with open perimeters and high-value materials. There are also long stretches where jobsites sit inactive, such as after hours or on weekends, creating vulnerability.
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Retail and commercial properties: Retail and commercial properties (especially parking lots) face a higher risk for larceny-theft and after-hours burglary, particularly when security infrastructure is basic or where visibility is limited.
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Logistics and transport operators: These businesses are often targeted for vehicle theft and cargo-related crimes because fleet vehicles may be stored in unsecured areas overnight.
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Events and temporary venues: Valuable staging equipment, coupled with limited (or no) permanent security infrastructure, creates short-term but very real vulnerabilities for these companies.
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Government and critical infrastructure properties: These properties are particularly exposed to crimes such as copper theft, vandalism, property damage, and criminal trespass due to the value of the materials involved and often isolated locations.
Read more:
How Mobile Surveillance Helps Reduce the Risk of Property Crime
The most effective way to reduce your exposure to property crime is to make your site harder to target in the first place. Our mobile surveillance does exactly that by combining visible deterrents with real-time monitoring and rapid response capabilities.
Here's how:
Solar Surveillance Trailers
Our Solar Surveillance Trailers are designed for quicker deployment and can be operational in as little as 20-minutes, with no fixed infrastructure required. If you're dealing with jobsite layouts that change or evolve over time, that's a practical advantage that fixed security systems can't beat.
Each trailer is fully equipped with advanced PTZ (Pan-Tilt-Zoom) camera technology, remote monitoring, and crime deterrents such as flashing blue lights and sirens. You can operate these trailers completely remotely using our comprehensive cloud-based dashboard, Stellifii.
Read more:
Live Monitoring
When you combine our trailers with Live Monitoring Services, they become an active deterrent rather than a passive recording device, and it's a core part of the security systems we provide.
Our trailers are connected to trained monitoring teams 24/7, and when suspicious activity is detected, they can directly intervene with live audio warnings broadcast from the trailer. When intruders know they're being watched and recorded, it can help to stop incidents before they escalate further. If necessary, our teams can also alert law enforcement immediately.
For better proactivity, live monitoring gives you real-time smart analytical insights into potential threats as well, allowing for timely intervention before a crime is committed.
Pole Cameras and Smart Detection
Our Pole Cameras deliver near-360° PTZ capabilities and can extend your visual coverage across wider areas without needing any fixed installation. They come fully equipped with cameras with built-in video analytics for real-time threat detection, making them a flexible, cost-effective way to cover any unmonitored areas without committing to fixed security. Like our trailers, these can be repositioned whenever and wherever you need them, so your coverage moves with your operation.
Our Smart Detection Systems use AI-video analytics to extend the capabilities of our cameras and are fully integratable with our Surveillance Trailers and Pole Cameras through Stellifii.
These systems are able to identify smoke and fire and monitor PPE compliance, feeding all of the data directly into Stellifii. That means a single system can work across your jobsite's security and safety, as well as compliance, simultaneously.
Additionally, our systems are trained to distinguish between everyday movement, like wildlife or blowing debris, and real security threats like human intrusion.
Rather than triggering on motion alone, our detection uses behavioral and pattern-based analysis to identify genuine threats with precision, resulting in a significant reduction of false alarms and faster verified alerts.
Stellifii
If you want a single platform that brings all our industry-leading security measures together, Stellifii integrates AI security data and operational insights into one place.
Rather than managing separate systems and trying to piece things together from different data sources, Stellifii gives you a comprehensive view of everything that's happening across your entire operation.
You can access live video streams from any device at any time, completely remotely, which gives you direct visibility into your sites without needing to be on the ground. When incidents occur, this centralized platform's searchable timelines and smart filters enable you to pinpoint footage instantly with clear, timestamped evidence to support internal reporting and criminal investigations.
This makes it easier to remotely manage compliance and monitor multiple jobsites while also acting on insights from your personalized data.
Read more: Benefits of Mobile Surveillance for Jobsite Security
Protecting Your Business Starts with Understanding the Risk
Property crime is a major concern for Florida businesses, and the financial and operational consequences can add up quickly.
The most important step is understanding which risks your business faces and implementing a security strategy that addresses them proactively. You can start this process by downloading our free Security Risk Assessment.
Whether you're managing an active construction jobsite or a commercial property, we can help you to identify the best mobile surveillance solution for your needs. Contact one of our expert advisors today.
