OPIOID NATION

A roommate told Deland Police 21-year-old Kaleb Walker, a student at Stetson University in Deland, had snorted narcotics before he died, according to a police report.

A Tavares police officer overdosed and was transported to the hospital after being exposed to fentanyl Tuesday during a traffic stop, according to the department.

The Florida Department of Health announced a new opioid recovery initiative in observance of International Overdose Awareness Day, sending hundreds of naloxone kits to the health departments of 16 counties.

Nearly five years ago, Kimberly McCaffrey-Noel was arrested by deputies in Volusia County when they found her unconscious in a car, with her baby in the backseat.

An accused Flagler County drug dealer got a big surprise over the weekend when deputies say he accidentally texted a county commissioner to try to sell drugs.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday discussed the rollout and planned expansion of a multi-county opioid recovery network, speaking at a news conference at the Space Coast Health Foundation in Rockledge.

Drugmaker Teva has announced an agreement to settle lawsuits over the allegations that it helped fuel the U.S. opioid epidemic.

The University of Central Florida is the first in Central Florida, and the first public university in the state, to give students and staff the power to save their own lives if they’re overdosing.

Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma sat down with anchor Justin Warmoth on “The Weekly” to break down how the opioid epidemic has evolved over the years and what it’s going to take to get the crisis under control.

Project Opioid is set to discuss the latest overdose crisis data at the Citrus Club in Orlando Thursday morning, organizers announced.

Community activists in South Florida sprang into action after West Point cadets on spring break were sickened by fentanyl-laced cocaine at a house party.

There often is a serious downside for people taking medications that have a long track record of helping treat opioid addiction: discrimination.

“Operation Icarus" identified a group responsible for trafficking cocaine and thousands of fentanyl pills throughout Central Florida.

The CVS drug store company and pharmaceutical companies will pay Florida a combined $860 million as part of the settlement of an opioid epidemic case.

The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office has been quietly putting an emphasis on hiring women for non-traditional roles in law enforcement.

The Everyone Campaign is set to focus on the dangers of drugs like fentanyl and help people who are struggling with the opioid crisis by using marketing billboards.

Project Opioid, a Florida-based initiative team that works alongside the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, is set to introduce a new advocacy campaign next week, according to a news release.

A Florida-based initiative teamed up with the Seminole County Sheriff’s office Wednesday to release a new report about a historic rise in local opioid overdose deaths.

36-year-old Devonne Walker was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

The State Attorney's Office in Orange and Osceola Counties is announcing the formation of a narcotics unit to fight the opioid epidemic.

Beacon Point is one of the few all-encompassing campuses in the state where opioid addicts at any stage can come for every kind of treatment.

Overdose deaths are hitting a record high in Volusia County with data from the medical examiner showing they spiked 75 percent in 2020.

The county is on track to surpass last year's overdose deaths.

An accused drug dealer faces charges after a man's fatal overdose on fentanyl, according to a news release from Orlando police.

Health officials say the coronavirus pandemic has created the greatest mental health, substance abuse and overdose crisis in U.S. history.

According to the most recent data from the CDC, overdose deaths in the United States rose 29.4% in 2020.

A Port Orange woman was arrested after it was determined her 11-month-old daughter died in January due to exposure to the synthetic opioid, fentanyl, according to police.

A woman faces a murder charge after she sold fentanyl to a Leesburg man who ended up dying from an overdose, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

A man was indicted on a charge of first-degree murder more than two years after another man died from an opioid overdose in Flagler County.

Overdose deaths soared to a record 93,000 last year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A man from Lake County could face life in prison after getting arrested on federal drug conspiracy charges, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

So far, in 2021, 581 people have overdosed and 81 have died, a 20% reduction compared to last year's pace.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Church leaders and law enforcement are working together to address the rise in overdose deaths within the last year. “What we are seeing is a perfect storm of the previous overdose crisis now colliding with COVID-19 and driving the numbers of deaths from overdose to historic levels,” Andrae Bailey, CEO of Project Opioid said. Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma, a coach for Project Opioid, said they are working to bring more community programs to reach those struggling with opioid addiction. “We’ve incorporated a lot in various programs in Seminole County and this project with project opioid brings the faith community together, the business community together and the public sector to come up with real reasonable solutions,” Lemma said. To keep up with the latest news on the pandemic, subscribe to News 6′s coronavirus newsletter and go to ClickOrlando.com/coronavirus.

SANFORD, Fla. – The Hope & Healing Center opened Monday in Sanford offering treatment for those battling addiction. The new facility, a partnership between Seminole County and AdventHealth, is designed to address the ongoing opioid crisis. Opioid overdoses increased last year by more than 50%, according to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, with nearly 62 overdoses per month in 2020. Currently, 10 inpatient residents can be housed at Hope & Healing. The Hope & Healing Center is the first of its kind, offering a wide range of counseling and support services that go beyond discharge from the facility including educational, vocational and housing needs.

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – Larry Brooks, a peer recovery “specialist” at SMA Healthcare in Volusia County, is often the first person and the best person to speak with addicts who are lucky enough to make it to the hospital after they overdose on opioids. SMA said typically only 10% of overdose patients will seek treatment. SMA created the partnership with Halifax Health a year ago as opioid overdoses and deaths soared in Volusia County. SMA said in 2019, 1,169 people overdosed and 145 people died, according to the Volusia County sheriff. The move will put peer recovery specialists in those hospitals to meet with overdose patients as they come in.

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – A man now faces a murder charge for supplying the drugs that caused a 19-year-old woman’s death, according to the state attorney’s office. David Hare was indicted Jan. 15, on a charge of first-degree murder by distribution of a controlled substance. Ackerman died Jan. 22, 2020, after doing drugs with Daniel Bachert, according to the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies say that Bachert noticed Ackerman was in distress but waited more than four hours to take her to the hospital. Jessica Ackerman and Daniel Bachert (Seminole County Sheriff's Office)Bachert provided the fentanyl to Ackerman but he received it from Hare, according to a news release from the state attorney’s office.

ORLANDO, Fla. – There has been a rise in opioid use and overdoses during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the founder of the Opioid Project, Andrae Bailey, and the issue has caught the attention of Florida Rep. Geraldine Thompson. Thompson hosted a virtual forum Tuesday morning to discuss the opioid epidemic with doctors and organizations a part of the conversation. “The COVID-19 pandemic has absolutely, definitively, no question about it, exacerbated the opioid crisis,” said Dr. Aaron Wohl, an emergency medicine physician with the Veterans Administration Hospital in Orlando. He said during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the largest increase in overdose deaths of any demographic was in the African American community. The conversation also offered up resources like Aspire Health Partners, who offers services to those with opioid addiction.

ORLANDO, Fla. – The COVID-19 pandemic is leading to an increased concern by leaders working to combat another crisis: the opioid epidemic. Jaime Bridges, LCSW, is the Opioid Outreach Coordinator at Orlando Health, ORMC. [TRENDING: Here’s how to register for COVID-19 vaccine | Select Publix locations will offer vaccine | Fla. woman accused of screaming political profanities]Bridges said the current health crisis, with rising COVID-19 cases, has lead to more relapses in the patients she sees. Bridges said programs like the one she started with Orlando Health have had to adapt to meet the needs of patients in need of rehabilitation. Bridges’ program distributed over 200 Narcan kits to patients leaving ORMC after an overdose, along with resources to take home.

POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A drug dealer who sold fentanyl instead of heroin to a man who ultimately overdosed and died earlier this year is now facing a murder charge, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Further testing of the baggies found at the scene determined that they contained fentanyl, according to a news release. Scott has been in jail since March on charges that include trafficking in heroin, tampering with evidence and possession of a structure to traffic drugs. For every parent who loses a child to illegal narcotics, there’s someone out there responsible for selling the drug that caused it. These drugs ruin lives, destroy families, and kill people,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said.

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Florida will use a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to fund a pilot program designed to help people recovering from opioid addiction re-enter the workforce through training as well as continue to receive recovery and support services. [TRENDING: ‘Smell of rotting flesh’ leads to body in trunk | How to celebrate Halloween during pandemic | 98 ‘murder hornets’ removed]The pilot program is called Support to Communities: Fostering Opioid Recovery through Workforce Development. “There is no question that the isolation and collateral unintended consequences of COVID-19 stop people who were in treatment,” Lemma said. The DeSantis' said the program is designed to partner with communities including local colleges, CareerSource in Central Florida and law enforcement. “This new pilot program is focused on connecting individuals who have been impacted by opioid abuse addiction and other substance use disorders, with the resources they need to recover and find meaningful employment in their communities,” Gov.