A surge in violent crime across Florida is the direct result of increased gang activity that should be battled with more state dollars and tougher prosecution, according to an interim report from a statewide grand jury.
Every state and major city in the United States is plagued with local, loosely structured, street gangs that are mainly motivated by drug sales. Historically, disruptive incidents in our prisons have been based on the geographic origins of the inmates involved (e.g., Miami gang inmates vs. Tampa gang inmates).
The high court impaneled the 18-member grand jury last June at the request of Gov. Charlie Crist to investigate a spike in gang activity in Florida, particularly the southern counties.
The grand jury found that gangs are using the Internet, particularly MySpace and other social networking sites, to recruit new members and are trying to infiltrate the military and law enforcement academies to get advanced weapons training. The report also points out that the gangs are branching out into white collar crimes such as identity theft and fraud.
These local groups form based on common interests and a sense of loyalty to individuals from their city, neighborhood, street, or housing complex. They adopt generic names such as Players, Posse, Crew, Mafia, Gang, and Bad Boys and attach their particular street or avenue name to it.
Although they are loosely structured and tend to conduct their illegal activities in a specific location, they are extremely violent and develop bitter blood rivalries.
Often the group evolves, and adopts an alliance with a national street gang such as the Bloods, Crips, or Chicago-based Folk Nation and People Nation sets and use their symbols and identifiers. This graduation in gang involvement often occurs in county jails, prisons, and juvenile facilities.
This increases the importance of tracking the development of gang membership while inmates are in custody. Tracking enables Department of Corrections to notify local law enforcement of new members or of any changes in a member's affiliation.
The Florida Department of Corrections has identified hundreds of these local gangs in every city from Pensacola to the Florida Keys. This includes small rural towns, upper middle-class neighborhoods, schools, and other areas where we tend to deny gang existence.
Here is a list of gangs/security threat groups the Department of Corrections have encountered:
10th Street Thugs
Miami
112 Avenue Boys
Miami
12 Nation Street Gang
Miami
18th Street Gang
Multiple Cities/Counties
205th Street Players
Miami
2-1
Jacksonville
22 Ave. Players
Dade
23rd Street Boys
Ft. Pierce
25 Street Folk
St. Petersburg
299 Street Boys
Miami
29th Street Players
Miami
Miami
Miami
39th Ave North Boys
Clearwater
3-D Kings
Sunrise
4 Avenue Players
Leon
56 Ave Players
Miami
6 Street Mob
Broward
69 Folk
Pensacola
773 Boys
Quincy
8 Ball Posse
Sarasota
98 Posse
Ft. Pierce
Multiple Cities/Counties
Apopka Boys
Apopka
Asian Bloods
Multiple Cities/Counties
Army of Light
Hendry CI
Prisons
Multiple Cities/Counties
Asian Gangsters
Pinellas
Baby Demons
Miami
B-Boys
Pinellas City
Bad Boys
Hillsborough
Basin Street Rat Pack
Tallahassee
Bellaire Boys
Clearwater
Black Angels
Wimauma
Multiple Cities/Counties
Black Guerilla Family
Multiple Cities/Counties
Black Hawks
Hillsborough
Black United Soldiers
Tallahassee
Blackheart
Miami
Multiple Cities/Counties
Blue Arrows
West Palm Beach
Broadview Mob
Broward
Carol City Lynch Mob
Carol City
Carver Shores Boys
Orlando
City Of Chaires Posse
Tallahassee
Cloud Nine
Ft. Lauderdale
Criminal Minded Posse
Lake Worth
Multiple Cities/Counties
rips
Crypt Disciples
Pensacola
Danger Zone
Palatka
Davie Boys
Broward
Death Squad
Pompano Beach
Devil Boys
Tampa
Dixie Court Players
Okeechobee
Dixie Playboys
Ft. Lauderdale
Dog Pound Gangsters
Polataka
Dogg Pound
Miami
Dover Locos
Plant City
Down By Law
Palm Beach
Du Rag Posse
Palm Beach
Eastside
Bradenton
Eastside Locos
Manatee
Eastside Posse
Orlando
Eau Gallie Posse
Eau Gallie
Ebony Kings
Jacksonville
El Rukn
Multiple Cities/Counties
Ex-Legion
Broward
Familia
Multiple Cities/Counties
Five Percenters
Multiple Cities/Counties
Flip Side Posse
FL State Prison
Flipside
Lake Wales
Folk Disciples-Chap 6
Orlando
Multiple Cities/Counties
Fort Pierce Boyz
Fort Pierce
Fountain Head Posse
Melbourne
Fourth World Mafia
Pompano Beach
G.O.D.S. MG
Multiple Cities/Counties
Gang Colors
Miami
Gang Of 14
Jacksonville
Multiple Cities/Counties
Coral Springs
Ghost Gangster Disciples
Lake County
Grand Theft Auto
Hillsborough
Grateful Dead MG
Multiple Cities/Counties
Hell's Angels
Multiple Cities/Counties
Hollywood Criminals
Hollywood
Holton St. Boys
Leon
Multiple Cities/Counties
Imperial GD
Multiple Cities/Counties
Inner Circle Assassins
Pompano Beach
Insane Cobras
Okaloosa CI
Multiple Cities/Counties
Int. Gangster Association
Orlando
Multiple Cities/Counties
Internatireturn to top
onal Posse
Jackson Height Posse
Tampa
Jacksonville City Boys
Jacksonville
Jamaican Posse
South Florida
Jamestown Project Gang
St. Petersburg
Joe Louis Street Posse
Tallahassee
Junkyard Jits
Ft. Pierce
King Garden Boys
Miami
Multiple Cities/Counties
La Cruz
Hollywood
Tampa
La Raza
South Florida
La Vida
Sunrise
Lake Bradford Boys
Leon
Latino Bad Boys
Miami
Multiple Cities/Counties
Multiple Cities/Counties
Multiple Cities/Counties
Latin Folk
Miami
Multiple Cities/Counties
Multiple Cities/Counties
Multiple Cities/Counties
Latin Thug Posse
Palm Beach
Legion
Hollywood
Legion of Doom
Miami
Longwood Lost Boys
Longwood
Lynch Mob
Palm Beach
Mafia Boys
Miami
Maniac GD
Miami
Multiple Cities/Counties
Miami Boyz
Miami
Mickey Cobras
Lee County
Money Kings
Ft. Myers
Most Powerful Nation
Davie
MS 13
Multiple Cities/Counties
Multiple Cities/Counties
Nasty Boys
Titusville
Orlando
Neta
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Niggers From Lackawanna
Jacksonville
Night Hawks
Jacksonville
Broward/Miami
Northside White Boyz
Ft. Myers
Opa Locka Boys
Opa Locka
Outlaws
Multiple Cities/Counties
P Stone Nation
Multiple Cities/Counties
Pagans
Multiple Cities/Counties
Parson's Gang
West Palm Beach
P-Dogs
Tampa
Peckerwoods
Jacksonville
People In Control
Tampa
Multiple Cities/Counties
Pine Manor Posse
Ft. Myers
Pompano Bloopers
Pompano
Pompano Boys
Tampa
Port Of Tampa Gang
Tampa
Project Boys
Quincy
Quincy Jaw Jackers
Quincy
Red Revolutionary Militia
Washington CI
Righteous Gangster Disciples
Tampa
Rockbrook Boys
Tallahassee
Rollin 20's Crips
Panama City, Tallahassee
Romans Of Fowler Ave
Tampa
Rude Boys
Ft. Pierce
Second Power
Kendall
Shower Posse
Jacksonville
Side by Side Boys
Miami
Multiple Cities/Counties
Skidrow
Pompano Beach
Skie Row
Pompano
Multiple Cities/Counties
Skullheads
Miami
Multiple Cities/Counties
Southside Neighborhood Gp
Tallahassee
Spanish Cobras
Miami
Multiple Cities/Counties
Spanish Law
Boyton Beach
Multiple Cities/Counties
Stoners
Lake Wales
Street Action Posse
Miami
Sureno 13
Multiple Cities/Counties
Sur XIII
Multiple Cities/Counties
T.N.S.
Dade
Tampa Boyz
Tampa
Tampa Posse
Tampa
T-Dogs
Titusville
Terror Of Dome
Immokalee
Prison
The Konneticut Kids
Miami
Prison
Thug Life
Pensacola
Thunder Cats
Palm Beach
Town & Country Villains
Tampa
Tre Duce Folk
Pensacola
Tres D
Tampa
Truman Arms Posse
Pensacola
Twin Colts
Okeechobee
Unforgiven
Multiple Cities/Counties
United Kings
Multiple Cities/Counties
Us Niggers Love Violence
Ft. Lauderdale
Vados Locos
Miami
Venice Shoreline Crips
Lee County
Multiple Cities/Counties
Victory Park Zoe Pound
Miami
VIP
Tampa
W/B-Boys
Clearwater
Warlocks MG
Multiple Cities/Counties
Lake Wales
Westside Boys
Hialeah
Westside Duce
Tampa
Westside Folk Disciples
Lee County
Westside Gangsters
Deerfield
Westside Locos
Bradenton
Westside Mafia
Jacksonville
Multiple Cities/Counties
White Aryan Resistance
White Fence
Coral Springs
White Pride
Kissimmee
Multiple Cities/Counties
Y.L.O.
Dade
Young Bloods
Ft. Walton Beach
Young Folk
Hillsborough
Young Gun
Tallahassee
Young Riders
Webster
Zoe Pound
Miami
Zoo Nigger
Multiple Cities/Counties
Zulus
Multiple Cities/Counties
