Floridians love to complain about traffic in their cities, and it's no wonder. With so many beautiful beaches around, who wants to be stuck on I-95? But which city in Florida actually has the worst traffic and drivers with the worst driving habits?
Aceable decided to investigate. We looked at travel time to work, vehicles per household and walkability for some of Florida's biggest cities. We also looked at the number of insurance claims to determine where drivers were getting in accidents and getting tickets.
Cities ranked better in terms of driving habits if they had shorter average commute times, fewer number of cars per family and a higher walk score. Walk scores are defined as the ease of commuting by foot in a particular area. They are measured on a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 being a perfect score.
We also took a look at the latest county statistics for traffic tickets that are currently available.
Here are how Florida cities ranked from worst to best based on local driving habits. Is your hometown on the list?
Best & Worst Florida Cities Based on Driving Habits
8. Miami
- Travel Time to Work: 32.6 minutes
- Vehicles per household: 1.24
Walk Score: 78
Tickets: 71,000 (2018)
Although Miami has the fewest number of vehicles per household and the highest walk score compared with other cities on this list, it also claims the longest travel time to work and a high rate of traffic tickets. Basically, Miamians spend a lot of commutes sitting bumper-to-bumper so there is ample opportunity to make a mistake behind the wheel.
7. Fort Lauderdale
Travel Time to Work: 28.7 minutes
Vehicles per household: 1.49
Walk: 57
Tickets: 75,000 (2018)
At the end of the work week, your average Fort Lauderdale resident has spent more than 4 hours driving to and from the office. That's a lot of time behind the wheel. While this South Florida city has a better than average walk score, it seems most folks in Fort Lauderdale prefer the freeway to the sidewalk. The rest of the time they're cruising on their boats.
6. Jacksonville
Travel Time to Work: 24.7 minutes
Vehicles per household: 1.62
Walk Score: 26
Tickets: 45,000 (2018)
It's no surprise that the Sunshine State's largest city is home to some of Florida's worst traffic. Jacksonville has the lowest walk score among cities on this list and has the second highest number of vehicles per household. In this town, you've gotta drive eve-ry-where. Better make sure you get a Florida drivers license, Jacksonville residents.
5. Orlando
Travel Time to Work: 28 minutes
Vehicles per household: 1.50
Walk Score: 41
Tickets: nearly 45,000 (2018)
There's plenty of reasons Orlando residents love their hometown. Traffic is not one of them. With an average commute time of over 50 minutes per day, plenty of people in Orlando would not call this city the "The Happiest Place on Earth." Despite this drawback, however, Orlando is a fairly walkable city, particularly in the neighborhoods of South Eola and Thornton Park.
4. St. Petersburg
Travel Time to Work: 24.6 minutes
Vehicles per household: 1.52
Walk Score: 44
Speeding Tickets: 19,000 (2016)
On paper, St. Petersburg's driving habits are nearly identical to Tampa's. The two cities have similar numbers in terms of average commute time and walk score, and in both Tampa and St. Petersburg there is an average of around 1.5 cars per household. The only difference is St. Petersburg has a higher rate of traffic tickets.
3. Tampa
Travel Time to Work: 27.5 minutes
Vehicles per household: 1.49
Walk Score: 49
Tickets: 30,000 (2018)
Tampa has a middle-of-the-road walk score and is also somewhat bikeable compared with cities of similar size. Though citizens spend about a half hour commuting to work each day, it's still around the national average.
2. Tallahassee
Travel Time to Work: 20.3 minutes
Vehicles per household: 1.65
Walk Score: 32
Tickets: 22.500 (2016)
A college town like Gainesville, the capital of Florida has a short average commute time. While this Panhandle city ranks low in terms of walkability, it seems the students here can navigate through traffic just fine. But as with almost everything else, the Seminoles only come in second best to the Gators. Driving habits count, too. Sorry, guys.
1. Gainesville
Travel Time to Work: 22.6 minutes
Vehicles per household: 1.44
Walk Score: 36
Tickets: 23,700 (2016)
Despite not being Florida's most walkable city, Gainesville is easy to drive through. In fact, residents have a shorter commute than the national average by about 4.3 minutes. Wowza. Those Florida Gator students like to move through traffic efficiently.
*This article was updated on 10/26/2020