Florida
Florida ranks high on this list of the most dangerous states for online dating. Here’s why.
People are getting catfished while trying to date online
Some people on online dating sites are catfishing and scamming other users.
If you’re a Floridian who’s ever sent a friend or family member your location before you go on a date with someone you’ve met online, here’s some less-than-stellar news for you.
Florida just ranked as one of the top five most dangerous states for online dating, according to a recent study from online security platform Privacy Journal. The good news is that the dangers of online dating are less about violence than they are about dating scams and catfishing, according to the study’s results.
Here’s where Florida ranked in Privacy Journal’s top five most dangerous states for online dating and why.
Are online dating sites dangerous?
Dating online isn’t always dangerous, but there’s always a risk when you agree to meet up with a stranger based on a profile that they’ve curated to look a certain way.
“Unlucky online lovers have reported romance scams and fraud, matches with registered sex offenders, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and even violent crime,” Privacy Journal’s study says.
How safe online dating is for you also depends on how much information you put out there and who you are. Limiting the amount of personal, sensitive information you include in your public profile can help keep you safe from identity theft or romance scams.
And young women are more likely to have a negative experience in online dating, according to a 2023 study from the Pew Research Center.
“A majority of women under 50 who have used dating sites or apps (56%) say they have been sent a sexually explicit message or image they didn’t ask for, and about four-in-ten have had someone continue to contact them after they said they were not interested (43%) or have been called an offensive name (37%),” the study says.
“Roughly one-in-ten of this group (11%) have received threats of physical harm. Each of these experiences is less common among women online dating users ages 50 and older, as well as among men of any age.”
Don’t get Tinder swindled: Here are 4 essential online dating safety tips
Is it dangerous to date online in Florida?
Privacy Journal’s study compared statistics on all of the factors that could lead to a dangerous online date for each 100,000 residents in each state to find the most and least dangerous states for online dating.
While Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Kentucky and Idaho took the top five rankings for being the least dangerous states for people looking for love online, Florida ranked in the bottom five as the fourth-most dangerous state.
Here are the five most dangerous states for online dating, according to Privacy Journal’s study:
- Nevada
- Alaska
- Georgia
- Florida
- Arizona
But Florida’s low safety ranking for online dating isn’t because of violence, it’s due to scams and identity theft.
“Florida already has a bad reputation thanks to the Florida Man meme, and our numbers for online dating risk factors don’t help the situation,” the study said. “Florida is the second-worst state in the country for both identity theft and fraud, and the seventh worst for becoming a victim of romance scams.”
How can I be safe while online dating?
Here are five safety tips for online dating, from RAINN (The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network).
- Don’t use your Instagram or Facebook photos on your dating profile: “It’s easy to do a reverse image search with Google. If your dating profile has a photo that also shows up on your Instagram or Facebook account, it will be easier for someone to find you on social media.”
- Don’t share live or motion photos: “Photos taken in ‘live’ mode include geolocation information that can be passed on along with the photo. Exercise caution when sharing these images with matches and potential dates.”
- Avoid interaction with suspicious profiles: “If the person you matched with has no bio, linked social media accounts, and has only posted one picture, it may be a fake account. It’s important to use caution if you choose to connect with someone you have so little information about.”
- Check your potential date’s social media: “If you know your match’s name or handles on social media—or better yet if you have mutual friends online—look them up and make sure they aren’t ‘catfishing’ you by using a fake social media account to create their dating profile.”
- Block and report suspicious profiles: “You can block and report another user if you feel their profile is suspicious or if they have acted inappropriately toward you. This can often be done anonymously before or after you’ve matched. As with any personal interaction, it is always possible for people to misrepresent themselves. Trust your instincts about whether you feel someone is representing themself truthfully or not.”
The Vero Beach Police Department took a man into custody May 8 in connection with a threatening phone call directed toward a business.
The agency received information at 5:21 p.m. May 7 about a threatening call to Thrive IRC Inc. at 2300 5th Ave. in Vero Beach, according to a news release. The call included someone threatening to come to the business with an AK rifle and “light the building up.”
Detectives began investigating the threat and identified Michael Sean O’Brien, 27, of Vero Beach, as the person associated with the phone number used during the call.
O’Brien was taken into custody at about 3:30 p.m. May 8 without incident. He was charged with the false report concerning the use of firearms in a violent manner, which is a second degree felony, according to the news release.
O’Brien was booked in the Indian River County Jail at 6:13 p.m. May 8 but was released at 1:36 p.m. May 9 after posting the $5,000 bond, according to the jail website.
No additional information was available the afternoon of May 9.
Olivia Franklin is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at olivia.franklin@tcpalm.com, 317-627-8048 or follow her on X @Livvvvv_5.
Charmaine Hickey, of Lang Realty in Port St. Lucie, was named in KNOW Women’s “100 Women to KNOW in America” list.
A Treasure Coast woman was named in a “100 Women to know in America” list for 2026.
KNOW Women is a global media company dedicated to giving women leaders connections and visibility. The company released a list of “100 Women to know in America” for 2026 to highlight the most influential women in business and leadership.
Charmaine Hickey, who works for Lang Realty in Port St. Lucie, was on the list.
“Charmaine’s recognition on a national stage like this comes as no surprise,” said Scott Agran, president of Lang Realty in a news release. “Her leadership, integrity, and commitment to both her profession and her community exemplify what this award stands for. She represents the very best of our industry.”
Hickey holds many industry designations and is known for her expertise in complex real estate transactions, as well as her client-first approach defined by honesty, patience and attention to detail, according to the news release.
Her community involvement includes serving on nonprofit boards, mentoring emerging leaders and supporting initiatives focused on education, women, families and youth.
“I am truly honored to be recognized among such an inspiring group of women,” said Hickey in the news release. “This award reflects not just individual achievement, but the power of community, mentorship, and lifting others as we grow. I’m grateful to be part of a network of women who are building meaningful impact every day.”
To see the full list go to theknowwomen.com.
Olivia Franklin is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at olivia.franklin@tcpalm.com, 317-627-8048 or follow her on X @Livvvvv_5.
A Florida surgeon who is facing criminal charges after allegedly removing a patient’s liver instead of his spleen has said he is “forever traumatized” by that person’s death.
In a deposition from November that was recently obtained by NBC, 44-year-old Thomas Shaknovsky described the death of 70-year-old William Bryan as an “incredibly unfortunate event that I regret deeply”.
Bryan died after the botched surgery; and in April, a grand jury in Tallahassee indicted Shaknovsky on a charge of manslaughter.
“I’m forever traumatized by it and hurt by it,” Shaknovsky added, also saying that wrong-site surgeries can happen “during difficult circumstances”.
The deposition provided Shaknovksy’s first detailed account of the operation that killed Bryan and eventually garnered national news headlines.
According to Shaknovksy’s deposition, after removing Bryan’s liver, the surgeon instructed a nurse to label the organ as a “spleen” – and he also identified it as a spleen in Bryan’s postoperative notes. Shaknovsky later said he had been “mentally compromised” at the time of Bryan’s death, explaining that he was “devastated, demoralized, crying over his passing, felt that I failed him”.
A lawsuit filed by Bryan’s widow, Beverly Bryan, accuses Shaknovsky of medical malpractice. The suit alleges that he “wrongfully omitted any reference to Mr Bryan’s liver being removed in order to ‘cover up’ his gross negligence/recklessness and to hopefully avoid the embarrassment due to such derelict care”, as NBC reported.
In April, the Walton county sheriff’s office said in a statement that Shaknovsky’s actions inflicted on Bryan “catastrophic blood loss and the patient’s death on the operating table”.
Shaknovsky’s deposition testimony described the chaos in the operating room after Bryan began bleeding extensively, causing his heart to stop. Medical staff performed chest compressions, and Shaknovsky attempted to find where the bleeding was coming from.
“I couldn’t tell the difference because I was so upset,” he said, referring to the organ he mistakenly identified.
“It was like a overflown sink that’s clogged up, and I am looking for a fork at the bottom, trying to feel and find the bleed, and I was not able to do so,” Shaknovsky said. He added: “After 20 minutes of struggling – desperately trying – to save his life, that’s when the wrong-site event took place.
“It’s a devastating thing, which I will have to live with the rest of my life,” Shaknovsky said in the eight-hour deposition reviewed by NBC. “I think about it every single day.”
After the medical team was unable to resuscitate Bryan, Shaknovsky said he went to the hospital’s medical library. “I went there to cry because I was devastated,” he said. “I didn’t want the staff to see me like that.”
Despite a spleen typically being significantly smaller than a liver, Shaknovsky said he believed Bryan’s spleen was “double the size of what is normal” because of a mass on it. Beverly Bryan’s lawsuit, however, states that a medical examiner told her that her husband’s spleen was anatomically “nearly normal”, according to NBC.
Shaknovsky would face up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 if eventually convicted as charged.
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