Earlier this morning, Florida Governor Rick Scott held a news conference where it was announced that the overall crime rate across the state had dropped to a record low in 2012 according to the Tampa Tribune.

Scott, surrounded by law enforcement officers from around the state, declared that Florida's overall crime rate had dropped to the lowest its been in 41 years during the first half of 2012.  He also revealed that almost every crime category had diminished during this time period compared to just a year ago.

Compiled by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), the statistics show that crime had fallen from 373,340 victims during the first half of 2011 to 359,051 victims during the first half of 2012 - a 3.8 percent decrease.  Voilent crimes throughout the state are down 5.3 percent even though there was a 1.5 percent increase in the number of statewide homicides - jumping from 472 to 479 from 2011 to 2012.

Here in the Tampa Bay area, there was a 6.3 percent drop in crime throughout Hillsborough County over the reported period, a 7.4 percent drop in Tampa, 2.4 percent in Pinellas County, 1.9 percent in St. Petersburg, and 6.6 percent in Pasco and Polk Counties.

New Port Richey leads the pack, though, with a reported 16.6 percent crime rate drop over the past year.