Numbers from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement show thieves stole more than 40,000 vehicles in the state of Florida last year.
Agencies made about 8,300 arrests and most of the people arrested were men.
Broken down by judicial circuit, there were 527 arrests in the 15th Judicial Circuit, which only includes Palm Beach County, in 2018. In the 19th Judicial Circuit, which includes Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee counties, authorities made 157 arrests for car thefts.
Those numbers are up from 477 in 2017 in Palm Beach County, and down from 195 in 2017 for the other counties combined.
In those counties, 28 arrests came from Indian River County, 24 from Martin County, 29 from Okeechobee County and 76 in St. Lucie County.
The National Insurance Crime Bureau says in 2017, the most stolen vehicle in Florida was a 2006 full size Ford pickup truck.
The hot spot for vehicle thefts in Florida in 2018 was the West Palm Beach-Fort Lauderdale-Miami metro area, which had a reported 20,045 stolen vehicles last year, according to the NICB.
Experts also recommend drivers keep their keys with them, your doors locked and always park in well-lit areas.
Click here for the full report from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Click here for more advice on preventing vehicle thefts from the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
