Florida is one of America’s top vacation destinations thanks to its theme parks, beaches and warm weather. So it’s no wonder the Sunshine State continues to hit record visitation numbers year after year, with more than 126.1 million tourists flocking to Florida in 2018 — a 6.2 percent increase from 2017, according to data from Visit Florida.
As the state sees more and more tourists each year, which Florida city is considered the most friendly by visitors? We surveyed our 1.5 million monthly readers and 346,000 fans on the official Trips To Discover Florida Facebook page to find out — and the results are in! We ranked the Florida cities first and foremost by overall vote counts. We also collected feedback about whether a city had helpful locals, was easy to get around, and if visitors felt safe. Our overall feedback score takes into account all three of those additional categories.
Other highlights from our survey:
• 126 different Florida cities received votes during our survey
• 79 percent of our participants voted for a city they do not live in
• 55 percent of our participants visited the city they voted for within the last year
• 20 percent visited within the last month
Whether you travel to Florida to ride the roller coasters, soak up the sunshine, or enjoy some old-fashioned fun, these are the state’s friendliest cities.
Top 20: Florida Cities with the Most Overall Votes
Orlando took the top spot on the list, and it wasn’t just because it’s home to friendly characters and the place where dreams come true. Outside of Walt Disney World and other theme parks, The City Beautiful was described by survey participants as friendly and clean, with one participant noting they always felt at home when they visited. Miami took the second spot, with participants noting its culture and food made the city feel warm and welcoming. St. Augustine rounded out the top three, with its historic charm and locals who go the extra mile.
1. Orlando
2. Miami
3. St. Augustine
4. Key West
5. Tampa
6. Sarasota
7. St. Petersburg
8. Fort Lauderdale
9. Clearwater
10. Destin
11. Jacksonville
12. Pensacola
13. Panama City
14. Daytona Beach
15. Cocoa Beach
16. Jupiter
17. Naples
18. West Palm Beach
19. Kissimmee
20. Sanibel
Top 20: Florida Cities with the Best Overall Feedback
These cities may not have received the most number of votes, but when we take into account all three of those additional categories — helpful locals, easy to get around, and if visitors felt safe — these cities scored the highest. While Jupiter ranked No. 16 on the list of overall votes, 100 percent of those who voted for the city said it had helpful locals, it was easy to navigate and they felt safe while visiting. St. Petersburg and Sarasota tied at No. 2 scoring 92 percent, followed by Pensacola at No. 4 with 90 percent and Naples at No. 5 with 89 percent.
1. Jupiter – 100% score
2. (tie) St. Petersburg – 92% score
2. (tie) Sarasota – 92% score
4. Pensacola – 90% score
5. Naples – 89% score
6. St. Augustine – 89% score
7. West Palm Beach – 87% score
8. Tampa – 84% score
9. Key West – 81% score
10. Daytona Beach – 81% score
11. Kissimmee – 80% score
12. Destin – 77% score
13. Clearwater – 76% score
14. Panama City – 73% score
15. Jacksonville – 73% score
16. Cocoa Beach – 71% score
17. Fort Lauderdale – 69% score
18. Miami – 63% score
19. Orlando – 61% score
20. Sanibel – 53% score
We broke down our categories to see which Florida cities scored the highest percent of votes in each of our feedback questions and here are the top five for each:
Top 5: Florida Cities With the Most Helpful Locals
1. Kissimmee – 100.00% of voters agreed
2. Pensacola – 100.00% of voters agreed
3. Jupiter – 100.00% of voters agreed
4. St. Petersburg – 94.12% of voters agreed
5. Fort Lauderdale – 93.33% of voters agreed
Top 5: Florida Cities That Are Easy to Get Around
1. Jupiter – 100.00% of voters agreed
2. Sarasota – 95.00% of voters agreed
3. Panama City – 90.00% of voters agreed
4. St. Augustine – 89.74% of voters agreed
5. Daytona Beach – 88.89% of voters agreed
Top 5: Florida Cities That Feel Safe
1. Jupiter – 100.00% of voters agreed
2. Naples – 100.00% of voters agreed
3. West Palm Beach – 100.00% of voters agreed
4. St. Petersburg – 94.12% of voters agreed
5. Clearwater – 92.86% of voters agreed
While you may still have your favorite Florida vacation destination, we hope you’ll add a few of these friendly cities from the Sunshine State to your bucket list.
