The city of NYC is actually safer than the US average, one of the safest large cities in the country. All 4 of FL's large cities: Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, Orlando have a rate that's at least twice as high. Newark on the other hand...not so much. It's like 4-5/100k for NYC vs 25/100k Newark. Chicago blows NYC for leading the country in homicides despite having 1/3rd of the population. I've honestly never felt unsafe in NYC. There are some colorful characters who ride the subway, but most of them are harmless people with severe mental illness. Some of the fights you alluded to aren't much different than what you'd see at a bar with a drunk idiot. As for the particular murders, the city has more people than 38 states.
Ugh, I had totally disproved this in the past when someone made the same statement, but I went back and looked and can't find the series of posts. So lets do it again, if we must.
Please post the source data you are using when you are comparing NYC to JaX, Miami, Orlando and Tampa. We have to look at what is being considered "metropolitan area". Because that's where the rub is.