WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — WPTV is committed to raising awareness of the fentanyl epidemic, impacting many families across Florida who have lost loved ones.
This week, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced millions of dollars in new funding to help take deadly drugs off the street.
We are examining how all that money will trickle down to Palm Beach County.
WATCH BELOW: Gov. DeSantis explains what Florida is doing in fight against fentanyl
The state of Florida started ramping up efforts to tackle the epidemic last year, creating a grant program called State Assistance for Fentanyl Eradication (SAFE).
Last year the program got $20 million in funding. This year it's getting an extra $8.5 million.
Michael Quesada was 14 years old when he went down the wrong path, calling it "an ugly picture."
"It started with painkillers, turned into heroin … turned into fentanyl," Quesada said. "A little bit of family issues, a lot of things I didn't know how to cope with."
He said fentanyl was the strongest drug to help him cope with his internal struggles, but it caused him to overdose twice.
"Did you know the dangers of it?" Lopez asked.
"Yeah," he responded. "At the time I don't think I valued my life enough."
It's an issue that DeSantis is helping fight, putting nearly $30 million in grants to help law enforcement with large-scale drug operations throughout the state.
WPTV did some digging and found that last year the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office received $475,000 in fiscal year 2023-2024 and $200,000 in fiscal year 2024-2025 from the grant.
The money went towards initiatives like "Operation Rushmore," which they said led to the following results:
- 7 home search warrants
- $20,784 cash
- 281 grams marijuana
- 170 pills
- 52 grams crack cocaine
- 2,482.8 grams fentanyl
- 2 vehicles
- 19 arrest
Tony Martino with Revolution Recovery Center in Boynton Beach said "as little as a pinhead [of fentanyl] could be lethal."
"It's our biggest fear," Martino said.
He said Revolution has been open for two weeks and already they've had a big enough demand for him to start looking to hire more staff.
"I was meeting with a client today," Martino said. "He informed me that two of his friends just recently passed away within the past 48 hours within Palm Beach County from fentanyl."
It's a number that pushed Quesada to get treatment. He's now 28-years-old and four years sober.
"I'm not going to be a victim of my past," Quesada said. "I got a beautiful place. I got a beautiful girlfriend. I got a car. I got bills that I can maintain and pay. I'm responsible enough that I can get employed, and I can show up."
DeSantis said the SAFE program has helped confiscate more than 60,000 fentanyl pills statewide, which the governor said is enough to kill 33 million people. For comparison, Florida has an estimated population of about 23 million.
