Axios Tampa Bay

March 04, 2025

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1 big thing: Fatal drug overdoses are falling

A choropleth map of the U.S. showing the change in the rate of drug overdose deaths per 100,000 people from 2022 to 2023. Alaska had the biggest increase, at 44%. Nebraska had the biggest decrease, at -23.7%. The nationwide change was -4%. — Data: CDC; Map: Alex Fitzpatrick/Axios

The fatal drug overdose rate fell 4% nationwide and nearly 10% in Florida, per new CDC data.

Why it matters: Overdose deaths seem to be falling as pandemic-era isolation ebbs and access to life-saving medications like Naloxone grows.

Driving the news: The age-adjusted rate of Florida fatal drug overdoses fell from 35.2 per 100,000 people in 2022 to 31.7 in 2023, the CDC says.

The rate for synthetic opioids — including fentanyl — dropped from 24.3 to 21.5.

Zoom out: Florida medical examiners reported a similar downward trend in their 2023 Drugs Identified in Deceased Persons report.

Total drug-related deaths decreased by 5%, or about 800 deaths.
Fentanyl remained the deadliest drug statewide, causing nearly 5,000 deaths. Still, that's a 12% drop from 2022. At its peak in 2021, the drug killed close to 5,800 people.

Zoom in: Deaths caused by fentanyl dropped in Tampa Bay, too.

In Hillsborough County, fentanyl killed 393 people in 2023, down from 480 in 2022.
In the medical examiner district made up of Pinellas and Pasco counties, fentanyl deaths dropped from 680 in 2022 to 579 in 2023.

The big picture: In the U.S., the overdose rate fell from 32.6 to 31.3, per the CDC. The rate for synthetic opioids also decreased, from 22.7 to 22.2.

Yes, but: States including Alaska, Oregon and Washington bucked the national trend, reporting major increases in their fatal OD rates.

Even their absolute numbers are relatively high: 2023 saw 49.4 fatal overdoses per 100,000 people in Alaska, 40.8 in Oregon, and 42.4 in Washington, compared to 31.3 nationally.

Caveat: Some areas with big drops in overdose rate still have relatively high absolute numbers.

The bottom line: The broad national data shows a welcome trend, but the opioid crisis rages on in some pockets of the country like a wildfire stubbornly refusing to be snuffed out.

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2. 🏝️ Bringing back beachgoers

Treasure Island Beach ahead of Hurricane Milton's expected landfall. Photo: Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Treasure Island Beach ahead of Hurricane Milton's expected landfall. Photo: Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Months after Hurricanes Helene and Milton battered Pinellas County's barrier islands, Treasure Island has a message: The coast is clear — it's time to head back to the beach.

Why it matters: Treasure Island is hosting a "back to the beach" event intended to celebrate its "resilience, community and coastal beauty" as well as its recovery from the back-to-back hurricanes.

State of play: Following widespread flooding from Helene's record storm surge, beach access points and dozens of restaurants, shops and attractions have reopened along the barrier islands, most recently a portion of Pier 60 in Clearwater Beach.

For some businesses, recovery has been slower or too much altogether. The beachside watering hole Caddy's Treasure Island remains "in bad shape" but will reopen soon with a tent and food truck, per a recent Facebook post.
The owners of Woody's Waterfront in St. Pete Beach announced in January they were selling the beloved restaurant.

Zoom in: The "Sand & Kites & Coastal Delights" event takes place March 8-9 from 10am to 6pm and features live music, food trucks and local vendors.

There will also be kite flying and a giant sand sculpture to symbolize Treasure Island's "recovery and renewal."

What they're saying: "The '&' in 'Sand & Kites & Coastal Delights' is more than just a symbol; it represents the essence of Treasure Island and Visit St. Pete Clearwater's theme: We are more than a beach," reads the press release.

"The ampersand conveys the idea that our island is a place where the beach connects to so much more that makes our destination special," it adds.

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3. The Pulp: 💧 Lakeland ends water fluoridation

Illustration of an orange with arms and legs, walking. — Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios

💡 Florida Rising and the League of United Latin American Citizens have filed an appeal to the Florida Supreme Court over Tampa Electric's rate hike, which shifts costs from large companies to residential customers. (Tampa Bay Times)

🚰 The City of Lakeland voted yesterday to remove fluoride from its drinking water, the latest in a string of municipalities across Florida to do so. (WFTS)

🛬 Spring break is expected to bring around 3.3 million passengers through Tampa International Airport from March 1 to April 6. (Bay News 9)

4. 📺 HGTV comes to Florida

A bearded man in a dark button-up and a woman with short blond hair in a mauve floral-print dress sit on a cream couch. In the background is a field with a few cows. — "Home Town Takeover" hosts Ben and Erin Napier. Photo: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images

"Home Town Takeover" hosts Ben and Erin Napier. Photo: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images

A small Florida town about 90 miles from Tampa is getting the HGTV treatment.

State of play: "Home Town Takeover" season 3 brings viewers to Sebring, a lakeside borough of about 11,000 people in Highlands County.

The series is a spinoff of "Home Town," which chronicled hosts Ben and Erin Napier's transformation of their once-depressed hometown, Laurel, Miss.
The first two seasons featured Wetumpka, Ala., and Fort Morgan, Colo.

Zoom in: Sebring is nestled on Lake Jackson between Highlands Hammock State Park and Lake Wales Ridge National Wildlife Refuge.

It's home to the Sebring International Raceway and Circle Park, a shady lawn anchoring the downtown historic district.

What they're saying: "You have a lake, you have a race track, you have a park that is a circle in the center of town," Ben Napier says in a season preview.