JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is reporting significant strides in reducing overdose deaths, citing recent data that highlights a steep decline over the past three years.

In a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Sheriff T.K. Waters announced that Jacksonville has seen a reduction in overdose deaths, from 472 cases last year to 221 so far this year. He credits this improvement to focused enforcement efforts and strong community collaboration.

During his update, Sheriff Waters delivered a stern message:

“To any drug traffickers considering Jacksonville, steer clear. We don’t want you here, and we are determined to keep your harmful substances out of our city.”

Waters noted that the department is employing various strategies to dismantle drug operations, though he refrained from discussing specifics.

“There’s a lot of things I don’t wanna talk about because it keeps us being able to operate the way that we operate… a lot of undercovers and things like that,” Waters said.

Waters also said that overdose-related deaths are not concentrated in any single part of the city.

“Illegal drugs affect a lot of people all over — all over the map. No specific neighborhoods… this is the decrease, which is really good,” he said.

The sheriff also pointed to a reduction in gang or group-related murders, reporting just one such case so far this year.

“One murder is too many. We are encouraged by truly historical-related deaths. In 2025, narcotics investigators arrested 813 criminals, and we’ll only continue this work in 2026,” said Waters.

Waters emphasized that community tips remain a critical part of investigations. Anyone with information about illegal activity is urged to contact JSO.