"Florida faces a corruption crisis that threatens the state's reputation, its economy and its ability to attract new jobs and capital," write the report's authors, Ben Wilcox and Dan Krassner.

Wilcox and Krassner compiled the 2012 report for Integrity Florida, a non-partisan group dedicated to reducing graft in the Sunshine State. It reveals that Florida is the nation's graft capital.

Harvard Law School’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics had a fascinating report (2014) measuring legal and illegal corruption in American states, and Florida does not fare particularly well.

Illegal corruption is “moderately common” in Florida’s executive branch.

Illegal corruption is “very common” in the state’s legislative branch.

No state has a higher ranking for illegal corruption in its judiciary.

When it comes to “legal” corruption, Florida falls into the “very common” category in both the executive and legislative branches.

Florida gets D- grade in 2015 State Integrity Investigation

Looking for more recent data, found this:

Scams:

Florida recorded some 29,600 fraud reports in the first quarter of 2023, the second highest after California.

Floridians lost $99.9 million during the quarter. The state ranked No1. for fraud scams and No.2 for identity theft for the last two years!

The top categories for scams and fraud are debt collection, imposter scams, identity theft, phone and mobile, and banks and lenders.

It is very common for retirees to head south to Florida to live out their golden years. There are also scammers and low lives that see these seniors in the Sunshine State and their nest eggs as the perfect easy target.

Scammers are using technology to come up with new ways to try and trick people out of their information or money – and using old standbys, too, as Forbes noted. Scammers can pose as potential romantic partners, law enforcement officials, banks, and stores to catch people off guard and rip them off.

"Typically, scammers prey on your fears—saying your account has been hacked, for instance," Campisi said. "They might also use the 'ticking time bomb' approach to get you to act fast, before you have a chance to think. Before you know it, you’re clicking on a misleading link and giving over sensitive information."

Lottery Scam:

In the lottery scam, con artists cold call seniors to tell them that they have won the lottery and convince them to pay shipping expenses and other fees to collect their paydays. U.S. law enforcement officials warn that the scammers are usually drug traffickers that threaten and intimidate seniors to sign away their savings.

Medicare Scam:

It is not uncommon for seniors to be approached by fraudulent callers claiming that they are authorized or funded by Medicare to offer assistance. These so-called advocates are peddling drugs at a higher price than what Medicare beneficiaries should be paying.

Insurance Scam:

In 2004, hundreds of Florida retirees were scammed for a total of over 2 million dollars in fraudulent insurance sales commissions. The scammers contacted their victims and persuaded them that they would save a lot of money on their health insurance. This was a bait and switch scheme in which the con artists exchanged the senior’s health insurance for a lower-cost option and then drastically overcharged them.

Trust and Annuity Scams:

The scammer does a mass mailing sending postcards to all the senior citizens he can find. The postcard claims that the wills and estates of the seniors are insecure.

Those seniors that reply are then subjected to hours-long in-person consultations during which the scammers convince them to purchase living wills and insurance annuities instead. The victims are then persuaded that liquidation of all assets is the best way to keep their savings.

Securities Scam:

One example is a Florida based church that asked Christian communities for donations/investments with promises that over a short period, investors who were mainly seniors lost thousands of dollars.

Investment Seminar Scam:

Seniors who have lost money on an investment attribute that loss to being misled or defrauded. Many financial advisers will try to attract new business by offering giveaways and freebies to retirees at informational seminars.

Many of the workshops are presented by scammers and violate securities law. They are not educational events even though they are promoted that way.