More than 600 pounds of fentanyl, 800 pounds of cocaine, and nearly 1,000 firearms have been seized and nearly 3,000 drug arrests made in Florida since 2023, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday during an Orlando press conference.
DeSantis — appearing along with Sara Carter, director of the Office of National Drug Policy, and Larry Keefe, director of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement — attributed those accomplishments to a 2023 law establishing the State Assistance for Fentanyl Eradication (SAFE) grant program.
DeSantis said the law, and his administration’s vigilant efforts on border control, have helped put Florida in the national forefront in the fight against fentanyl.
“I think we’ve sent the the appropriate deterrence message, that you shouldn’t be doing this in the United States but, if you are going to do it, you do not want to do it in the state of Florida. You will regret having done that, and we will make sure that we hold you accountable,” the governor said.
The Legislature appropriated more than $22.5 million for the SAFE grant program in state fiscal year 2026-27 budget, which runs from July 1 through June 30, 2027. All law enforcement agencies in the state can apply for the grants and, according to the FDLE homepage, grants are still available for the current year.
This grants can be used by law enforcement for:
- Overtime
- Travel
- Investigative supplies
- Approved equipment
- Contractual services
- Approved training
Money’s also available for “other costs associated with cases focusing on fentanyl eradication.”
The governor credited First Lady Casey DeSantis for her work “curtailing the demand” through programs in Florida schools that aim to educate children about the “devastating consequences of drug abuse, but particularly when you’re talking about things like fentanyl.”
“Deaths due to fentanyl have declined by almost 60% since this program went into effect in 2023,” the governor said.
He added: “We have reason to believe that it’s falling even more since then.”
DeSantis cited annual reports by Florida Medical Examiners Commission as the source for his information.
The reports track drugs medical examiners detect during autopsies, including benzodiazepines, amphetamines, hallucinogenics, inhalants, and opioids.
It flags opioid-related deaths, those in which opioids are identified as either the cause of death or present in the decedent’s system. The reports track opioid-caused deaths or deaths in which, after examining all evidence, the autopsy, and toxicology results, the medical examiner determines the drug played a causal role.
The 2025 report shows 4,094 opioid-related deaths that year, a 24% decrease over the previous year.
There were 2,494 opioid-caused deaths reported for the year, a 33 % decrease from the previous year.
“We have reason to believe that it’s falling even more since then,” DeSantis said.
Meanwhile, the 2024 report shows 5,378 opioid-related deaths, a 26% decrease from 2023. There were 3,726 opioid-caused deaths in 2024, a 32% decrease.
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