Pill mill problem gives way to spike in heroin deaths in Central Florida

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Florida's pill mill problem has given way to a spike in deaths from heroin, replacing one epidemic with another, with Central Florida at the epicenter.

Investigative reporter Christopher Heath spoke Wednesday with Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings at an annual crime summit about proposed resolutions to the issue.

Heath learned that Central Florida had twice as many deaths from heroin as Tampa and St. Petersburg, and no county in the state had a higher rate of death from heroin than Orange County.

Recovering addict Travis Dore told 9 investigates that he “wasn't aware of what it does to you."

Dore said he was "depressed and unhappy."

Travis received treatment for his addiction in 2014, but 83 people in the Orlando area were not as lucky.

They died from taking the drug.

Orange County officials identified heroin as a major problem and formed a task force that included law enforcement.

"Do you feel like progress has been made, and what more needs to be done?” Heath asked.

“We have made some progress," Demings said.

During the summit, Demings showcased successes and setbacks in the fight against heroin and the crimes that come with it.

"While the total number of overdoses has increased, the number of heroin-related overdoses has decreased in the last year," said Demings.

But the decrease was only in unincorporated Orange County.

Interim data from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement shows the first half of 2015 outpacing the first half of 2014 for heroin deaths in the Central Florida area as a whole.

The number of deaths from fentanyl in Central Florida has also spiked, and it is also an area of concern for law enforcement.

Cox Media Group