Fentanyl-caused deaths in Florida fell to about 2,000 in 2025, down from 4,962 in 2023, according to state figures from the Florida Medical Examiners Commission's 2025 annual drug report. Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the numbers Oct. 20 in Orlando and credited the State Assistance for Fentanyl Eradication, or S.A.F.E., grant program, which launched in 2023 with state funding approved by the Legislature. The medical examiner data confirm a steep decline, but they cannot by themselves show what caused it.
"Fentanyl-caused deaths in Florida have declined by nearly 60% since we launched the S.A.F.E. grant program in 2023," DeSantis said, according to the governor's office. The program funds drug trafficking investigations by local law enforcement. State officials say it has led to nearly 3,000 arrests and seizures of more than 600 pounds of fentanyl and more than 65,000 fentanyl pills.
