Florida
Decrease in drug-related deaths in Florida gives new glimmer of hope to families affected by addiction
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A recent report by the Florida Medical Examiner’s Commission revealed a slight decrease in the number of drug-related deaths in 2022, bringing a new glimmer of hope for families who have loved ones battling drug addiction.
A local parent who lost a son to fentanyl said the 3% decline in fentanyl deaths in Florida is progress.
“There is a very long way to go with it. Every single life is worth it. But if we get the word out and continue to see a decrease in fentanyl deaths, then our goal is met,” Carroll Miniard said.
Miniard knows all too well about the pain of losing a child to a fentanyl overdose.
“I would never wish this on any parent. To lose your child. It’s the worst possible nightmare,” Miniard said.
RELATED | ‘Your family is not immune’: Mother knows pain of losing loved one to drug addiction
Back in 2019, her son Evan was battling a drug addiction following a car crash that left him in pain. When prescription pain medication wasn’t enough, he turned to street drugs. His life ended when he used heroin that was laced with fentanyl.
“It was two policemen from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office when I opened the front door. We all went to the door together because we just knew something wasn’t right on a Sunday night in 2019,” Miniard said.
According to the recently released final report on drug deaths by the Florida Medical Examiner’s Commission, the year after Evan’s death, 5,302 people in Florida died from fentanyl. The following year, the number jumped to 5,791. Then in 2022, fatalities dropped to 5,522.
“It’s a low percentage but it’s something. It’s giving me hope. It’s giving other families hope. There’s hopefully an end to this crisis,” Miniard said.
Federal prosecutors said factors that led to the 3% drop include indictments of Chinese companies and individuals who supply Mexican drug cartels with chemicals used to produce fentanyl. Other contributing factors were the increase in criminal convictions for fentanyl trafficking and distribution.
MORE | The US sanctions Mexican Sinaloa cartel members and firms over fentanyl trafficking
There was also an increase in seizures of fentanyl powder and pills, seizures that have not slowed down.
According to the DEA’s tracker of fentanyl seizures across the U.S., as of Monday, 11.7 million fentanyl pills and 730 pounds of fentanyl powder have been seized since the beginning of the year. But in reality, the numbers are likely much higher when you add fentanyl seizures from local law enforcement agencies.
To Miniard, the seizure numbers represent something else.
“That’s lives that are being saved and we can’t put a price on that,” Miniard said.
RELATED | Opioid addiction: This story is bigger than me
If you or anyone you know has a drug addiction problem, please seek help.
You can call the Florida Addiction Hotline at 866-210-1303.
Copyright 2024 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.
Florida
Florida Woman, 31, Accused of Peeing on and Damaging More Than $3,000 Worth of Property in Multiple Airbnbs
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2)/nicolette-keough-mugshot-032126-5851614fb53f4e828f8c68733c4b8850.jpg?ssl=1 "Florida Woman, 31, Accused of Peeing on and Damaging More Than ,000 Worth of Property in Multiple Airbnbs")
A so Florida thing is coming up — amid spring break season. A rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, is scheduled to lift off this weekend.
SpaceX plans to launch a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a batch of Starlink internet satellites into low-Earth orbit on Sunday, March 22.
Rockets here launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center near Merritt Island, Florida, or Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and people in and around Brevard County usually have the best chance at seeing this phenomenon in the sky.
Weather permitting and depending on cloud cover and trajectory, a rocket launch from Florida’s Space Coast is sometimes visible as far north as Jacksonville Beach and as far south as West Palm Beach.
When there’s a nighttime launch window or very early morning, there’s an opportunity for unique photos — the rocket lights up the dark sky and the contrail after makes for a great photo.
Below is more information on the next rocket launch from Florida and suggestions on where to watch it in person (or virtually via the USA TODAY Network’s Space Team).
For questions or comments, email USA TODAY Network Space Reporters Rick Neale at rneale@floridatoday.com, Brooke Edwards at bedwards@floridatoday.com or Eric Lagatta at elagatta@usatoday.com. For more space news from the USA TODAY Network, visit floridatoday.com/space.
Is there a rocket launch from Florida today? Next launch is Sunday, March 22, SpaceX Starlink 10-62
- Mission: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch 29 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit.
- Launch window: 10:43 a.m. to 2:43 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 22.
- Trajectory: Northeast.
- Location: Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
- Sonic booms: No.
- Live coverage starts 90 minutes before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space: You can watch live rocket launch coverage from USA TODAY Network’s Space Team, which consists of FLORIDA TODAY space reporters Rick Neale and Brooke Edwards and visuals journalists Craig Bailey, Malcolm Denemark and Tim Shortt. Our Space Team will provide up-to-the-minute updates in a mobile-friendly live blog, complete with a countdown clock, at floridatoday.com/space, starting 90 minutes before liftoff. You can download the free FLORIDA TODAY app, which is available in the App Store or Google Play, or type floridatoday.com/space into your browser.
Where to watch SpaceX rocket launches from Melbourne, Rockledge, Cocoa Beach and Merritt Island, Florida
Pretty much anywhere in Brevard, you’ll get a view of the rocket launch − in certain areas, you can get an amazing view of SpaceX rocket boosters returning to the pads. The best view to watch a rocket launch from the Space Coast is along the beach. However, visibility will depend on weather conditions and people should make sure not to block traffic or rights of way on bridges and to follow posted rules at beaches.
If you are viewing the launch along the Indian River in Titusville from Space View Park or Parrish Park, look east directly across the river.
If you are farther south along the Indian River, look northeast.
Playalinda Beach or Canaveral National Seashore is the closest spot to view liftoff because it is almost parallel to Launch Pad 39A. On the beach, look south along the coastline (you can even see the pad from some spots).
Some hotspots to check out:
- Jetty Park Beach and Pier, 400 Jetty Park Road, Port Canaveral. Note, there’s a charge to park.
- Playalinda Beach, 1000 Playalinda Beach Road, Canaveral National Seashore. Note, there’s a charge to park, and access to Canaveral National Seashore isn’t always granted depending on capacity and time of day.
- Max Brewer Bridge and Parrish Park, 1 A. Max Brewer Memorial Parkway, Titusville. Note, parking is available on both sides of Max Brewer Bridge.
- Space View Park, 8 Broad St., Titusville
- Sand Point Park, 10 E. Max Brewer Causeway, Titusville
- Rotary Riverfront Park, 4141 S. Washington Ave., Titusville
- Riverfront Park at Cocoa Village, 401 Riveredge Blvd., Cocoa (just before State Road 520 Causeway)
- Cocoa Village, near the parks and shops or near the docks
- Various parks on Merritt Island
- Rotary Park, 1899 S. Courtenay Parkway, Merritt Island
- Kiwanis Park on Kiwanis Island Park Road on Merritt Island
- Port Canaveral, with ships from Disney Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean
- Alan Shepard Park, 299 E. Cocoa Beach Causeway, Cocoa Beach. Note, there could be parking costs.
- Cocoa Beach Pier, 401 Meade Ave. Parking fee varies.
- Lori Wilson Park, 1400 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach. Lori Wilson Park has a dog park, by the way.
- Sidney Fischer Park, 2200 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach. Note, there could be parking costs.
- Downtown Cocoa Beach, along Minutemen Causeway
- Tables Beach, 197 SR A1A, Satellite Beach
- The Tides on SR A1A in Satellite Beach
- Various parks, including the Pelican Beach Clubhouse, in Satellite Beach
- Pineda Causeway
- Eau Gallie Causeway
- Front Street Park near Melbourne (U.S. 192) Causeway and U.S. 1 in Melbourne
- Indialantic boardwalk at Melbourne Causeway and SR A1A
- Paradise Beach Park, aka Howard Futch Park, 2301 SR A1A, Melbourne (this is a beachside park)
- Sebastian Inlet Park, 9700 S. State Road A1A, Melbourne Beach (there is a cost to enter)
Watch some rocket launches with NASA on Prime Video
Watch NASA+ content with Amazon Prime Video
NASA content, including some rocket launches, is available to watch through NASA+ on desktop, both from its official site and YouTube. The platform is also available to download as a mobile app on smartphones.
All NASA+ content is also available to those who have Prime Video downloaded on any of their devices – whether it be a smartphone or smart TV.
The content, which does not require a Prime subscription to view, is one of Prime Video’s FAST channels (free ad-supported television). Viewers can find it under Prime’s Live TV section at the top of the screen when they open the app.
Lianna Norman and Jennifer Sangalang are trending reporters for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, rocket launches, Florida wildlife, breaking news and more. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
Florida
Gov. Ron DeSantis orders flags to be flown half-staff for Florida soldier who was killed in the Iran war
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday ordered Florida and U.S. flags at the state Capitol and all local and state buildings to be flown at half-staff on Saturday to honor U.S. Army Reserve Capt. Cody Khork, a Winter Haven resident, who was killed in Kuwait by Iranian drone strikes on March 1.
“Capt. Khork served our Nation with honor and dedication in the United States Army since 2009. He served as a Multiple Launch Rocket System/Fire Directions Specialist and was commissioned as a Military Police Officer in 2014,” a release from DeSantis’ office states. “He is remembered not only for his service to our Nation and State but as a true American hero who exemplified the values of patriotism, leadership, and selfless service. Our prayers go out to the family he leaves behind.”
Khork, 35, was one of the first U.S. casualties after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes at Iranian military and political leadership targets on Feb. 28.
A 2008 graduate of Lake Region High School in Polk County, Khork joined the National Guard in 2009.
He served overseas in Cuba, Saudi Arabia, Poland, and Kuwait and was posthumously awarded the rank of Major.
Ty France makes Padres’ opening-day roster
Phoenix Suns Reveal Starting Lineup vs Milwaukee Bucks
Between Atlanta And Charlotte Is South Carolina’s Small City With Friendly Vibes And A Walkable Downtown – Islands
Twin Cities’ high temperature of 77 degrees breaks record
Storm risk Sunday before a sharp cooldown early next week | Mar. 21, 2026
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
Schumer gambit fails as DHS shutdown hits 36 days and airport lines grow
Trump threatens to deploy ICE to airports amid Homeland Security shutdown
Alabama student reportedly fell to his death in Barcelona waters by accident
Read the Ruling in The Times’s Lawsuit Against the Pentagon
NYC Mayor Mamdani’s wife glorified terrorists in online posts, criticized US military: report
-
Detroit, MI3 days agoDrummer Brian Pastoria, longtime Detroit music advocate, dies at 68
-
Oklahoma1 week agoFamily rallies around Oklahoma father after head-on crash
-
Nebraska1 week agoWildfire forces immediate evacuation order for Farnam residents
-
Georgia6 days agoHow ICE plans for a detention warehouse pushed a Georgia town to fight back | CNN Politics
-
Alaska7 days agoPolice looking for man considered ‘armed and dangerous’
-
Southwest1 week agoTalarico reportedly knew Colbert interview wouldn’t air on TV before he left to film it
-
Minnesota1 week agoMany with Minnesota ties make Forbes list of world’s richest people
-
Science1 week agoFederal EPA moves to roll back recent limits on ethylene oxide, a carcinogen