South Beach has no grade of its own; Vero Beach, 6 miles away, is the nearest that does
Widen the search to 25 miles and 3 graded towns turn up. South Beach has no police department of its own: it’s an unincorporated community (a census-designated place) in Indian River County. The Indian River County Sheriff’s Office reports to the FBI for the parts of the county without police of their own, so there are no figures for South Beach alone, and no Safety Grade. Within 10 miles, Vero Beach is the one town with a Safety Grade.
What stands out about safety in South Beach
Policed by the county
South Beach is a census-designated place, with no town government. Crimes there are reported to the FBI inside the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office’s totals for the county. County police ↓
Counts, not rates
The FBI doesn’t publish how many people the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office covers, so its totals can’t be turned into a per-resident rate or a grade for South Beach. County police ↓
The nearest graded towns
The closest Florida towns with their own police figures are Vero Beach (A, 6 mi), Sebastian (B−, 17 mi), Fellsmere (A−, 20 mi). Nearby towns can differ a lot from South Beach. Nearest ↓
Written from the FBI data on this page. Figures are crimes reported to police, not convictions.
What the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office reports
Reports to the FBI for the parts of Indian River County without police of their own, which include South Beach.
Property crimes
Violent crimes
2025 offenses reported by the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office
Counts, not rates: the FBI doesn’t publish how many people each agency covers. FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Tables 10–11.
Crimes reported to the FBI for the whole area the department covers, by year.
The nearest Florida towns with a Safety Grade
| Town | Grade | Distance | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vero Beach | A | 6 mi | 0.6 | 4.4 |
| Sebastian | B− | 17 mi | 1.5 | 11.1 |
| Fellsmere | A− | 20 mi | 0.9 | 5.1 |
| Stuart | C− | 27 mi | 3.6 | 19.4 |
| Palm Bay | C+ | 33 mi | 3.1 | 9.5 |
| West Melbourne | B− | 38 mi | 1.6 | 11.1 |
Straight-line distance from the center of South Beach. Nearby towns can differ a lot from South Beach.
Each town’s own police figures, per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Two people died in crashes on South Beach’s roads in 2019–2023
South Beach had 2 fatal crashes in five years, in which two people died; 1 was a pedestrian and 1 was a cyclist.
That is about what is typical for Florida towns of 2,500–5,000 people: at their median rate (10.4 deaths per 100,000 residents a year), a town of South Beach’s size would see about 2 in five years. With numbers this small, a death or two either way changes the picture, so South Beach’s own rate (13.1) is context, not a ranking.
Deaths are counted where the crash happened, not where the people lived: a highway through town adds through-traffic deaths, and residents’ own risk on roads elsewhere isn’t here. Town rates sit below state and U.S. rates because a third of fatal crashes happen outside any town. Road safety is described here and is not part of the Safety Grade. Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023.
South Beach and its neighbors
| Town | Grade | Violent | Property |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vero Beach | A | 0.6 | 4.4 |
| Vero Beach South | — | — | — |
| Florida Ridge | — | — | — |
Crimes reported to the FBI per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. Vero Beach South and Florida Ridge are unincorporated communities (census-designated places) with no police department of their own.
How reported crime compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its safety page.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- It’s reported crime. Only incidents reported to and recorded by police appear here. Many crimes are never reported to police.
- A county agency covers a wide area. Its totals mix many communities, so they say little about any one of them.
- Gaps are real gaps. A missing year means the department didn’t report a full year, not that nothing happened.
How the grade is calculated, for every town: How TownRatings grades safety →
Questions about safety in South Beach
Is South Beach, FL safe?
There is no Safety Grade for South Beach. The nearest Florida towns with a grade are Vero Beach (A, 6 mi), Sebastian (B−, 17 mi), Fellsmere (A−, 20 mi).
Who polices South Beach?
The Indian River County Sheriff’s Office. South Beach is an unincorporated community, and the department reports to the FBI for the parts of Indian River County without police of their own.
Heads-up board
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Please don’t name or describe individuals. In an emergency, call 911.
Neighbors looking out for each other in South Beach.
Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: offenses known to law enforcement by city, and state and national rates. Counts are crimes reported to police, not convictions. The Safety Grade is our own summary of that data, not an official rating. Road deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2023. This isn’t an official statement of public safety. In an emergency, call 911.