Central Florida experienced a nearly 7% drop in fatal drug overdoses from 2021 to 2023, reflecting a positive trend statewide.
Central Florida: It’s great news! Over the last couple of years, the area has seen a nearly 7% drop in fatal drug overdoses. This is part of a larger trend across the U.S. after some pretty scary spikes in the past.
According to Project Opioid, which shared the data recently, the decline in overdose deaths in Central Florida was even better than the state and national averages. While Florida saw a 5.9% drop and the U.S. just 1.5%, Central Florida is really making strides.
However, not all counties are on the same page. Osceola County actually saw a 20.2% increase in overdose deaths since 2021. On the flip side, Orange County had a 6.6% decrease, and Lake County, which wasn’t included in the main report, had a nearly 15% drop.
Seminole County led the way with a whopping 27.2% decrease in deadly overdoses. Sheriff Dennis Lemma has been pushing for treatment options for users while cracking down on dealers, and it seems to be working. Andrae Bailey from Project Opioid also highlighted the importance of naloxone, the life-saving drug that reverses overdoses.
Bailey mentioned that they’ve been getting naloxone out to the community like never before. In 2024 alone, they distributed over 100,000 doses and held many training sessions on how to reverse overdoses. He believes that without naloxone, the death rate could have been much higher.
Last year, deputies in Seminole County used naloxone 99 times, and despite 427 overdoses, the death toll was only 66, which is a significant drop. But Sheriff Lemma is clear that there’s still a lot of work to do.
He expressed satisfaction with the numbers but emphasized that the hard work is just beginning. The rise in overdose deaths in previous years was largely due to fentanyl, a dangerous synthetic drug. Thankfully, its use seems to be declining, according to the CDC.
From July 2023 to July 2024, the CDC reported a 19.3% drop in overdose deaths nationally. Florida’s numbers are just below that at an 18.9% decrease. West Virginia, however, had the biggest drop, nearly 50% fewer deaths.
But Lemma cautioned against complacency. He wants everyone to understand that while the numbers are improving, the fight against substance use disorder is far from over.
