Twice a year, the Florida Medical Examiners release a report that quantifies the number of people in Florida who have died from drugs and alcohol. In one report, the medical examiners summarize the data for an entire year. In another, the medical examiners provide a snapshot of six months of data in an interim report.
From 2016 to 2021, those reports cataloged a consistent rise in deaths caused by three controlled substances: fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine. The rise of fentanyl has been well-chronicled. In 2016, there were 1,390 fentanyl-caused deaths in Florida; that number increased more than 300% by 2021, reaching 5,791.
However, fentanyl was not the only controlled substance that experienced a dramatic increase in deaths. Cocaine-caused deaths increased more than 50%, from 1,769 in 2016 to 2,677 in 2021. Methamphetamine-caused deaths also surpassed both fentanyl and cocaine in percentage terms, rising more than 540%, from 327 in 2016 and 2,101 in 2021.
Since then, there has been a downward trend in deaths caused by those three drugs. From 2021 to 2023, deaths caused by fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine have decreased by 14%, 11% and 6%, respectively.
As reflected in the recently released interim Medical Examiners Report, those trends continued into the first six months of 2024. Compared to the same period in 2023, deaths caused by fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine in 2024 were down 20%, 5% and 13%, respectively. The decreases are even larger for fentanyl and cocaine when compared to the same period in 2021: a 30% drop in fentanyl-caused deaths and a 16% decrease in cocaine-caused deaths.
These decreases have occurred throughout Tampa and its surrounding counties.As reflected in the interim reports for 2021 and 2024, the number of fentanyl-caused deaths dropped in each of the three medical examiner districts that cover DeSoto, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota counties. The district covering DeSoto, Manatee and Sarasota counties experienced the largest reduction of 50%, with significant decreases of 27% in the district covering Pasco and Pinellas Counties and 25% in Hillsborough County. This encouraging news is not limited to fentanyl. Each of the three medical examiner districts had a decrease in methamphetamine deaths and the districts covering DeSoto, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota counties had a decrease in cocaine deaths when the interim reports from 2021 and 2024 are compared.
These decreases are due to the dedication and commitment of many community members. Law enforcement, treatment providers, community leaders, nonprofit organizations, businesses, public servants, prosecutors and many others have all teamed up on this effort. This work is far from over, and more needs to be done to ensure that the number of drug deaths continues to decrease. However, we should take a moment to thank everyone whose contributions have made this possible. Their efforts are saving lives.
Roger Handberg is a shareholder at GrayRobinson and is the former United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida.
