Florida ended 2025 with 2,413 residents dying from COVID-19 after the state passed the 100,000 fatality milestone several months earlier.The Florida Department of Health issued its final 2025 weekly report on Dec. 26 with data involving deaths, cases and vaccines.Nearly six years after the first fatality was reported on March 5, 2020, the death toll has reached 101,459 for a daily average of 48. That represents about one-half of a percent of the state’s 23.3 million population.The number of deaths passed 100,000 in the May 9 report. But it went virtually unnoticed as the state doesn’t even list a running total. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stopped receiving reports from state agencies on May 11, 2023, when it was no longer a federal emergency. Also, Johns Hopkins and Worldometers stopped tracking the disease.Early in the pandemic, the CDC was reporting daily statistics, but then cut them back to weekly. Florida started out with twice-daily figures with a dashboard that included detailed information, including cases by ZIP code. The state went to weekly reports on June 4, 2021, and biweekly in March 27, 2022, then back to weekly after a court case.The CDC does list deaths, but they are from the National Vital Statistics System, with the latest Florida figure at 86,697 as of Dec. 6. Nationally, there are 1,236,181 deaths.The Florida agency says “surveillance deaths” meet one of two criteria: a death certificate listing natural causes and the death occurred within 30 days of their case event date or had a death certificate listing COVID-19 “as an immediate cause of death, underlying cause of death, or significant condition contributing to death.”The surveillance case definition for COVID-19 deaths differs from the definition used for Florida’s Bureau of Vital Statistics.Broken down by county, Miami-Dade has the most deaths at 13,661, followed by Broward at 7,651 and Palm Beach at 7,109.On the Treasure Coast, 1,673 have been reported in St. Lucie County, with 961 in Indian River and 954 in Martin. Okeechobee County has 244, with its first fatalities not reported until July 11, 2020. According to the CDC’s data, Florida ranks fourth behind California at 117,466, Texas at 107,716 and New York at 86,79. Florida is the third most populous state behind No. 1 California and Texas.Florida’s yearly death toll grew from 23,353 in 2020 to 39,881 in 2021 but dropped to 21,341 in 2022, 8,453 in 2023, 6038 in 2024 and then the 2,413 last year.”That’s not to trivialize the fact that 2,000 people in Florida have had a COVID-19-related death this year, but that’s 61% fewer than just last year and 94% fewer than the worst of the pandemic,” Jason Salemi, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at the University of South Florida Health, told the Tampa Bay Times in November.Salemi created a dashboard to provide reliable information and combat misinformation, he said he saw regularly spread about the disease on the internet and elsewhere. The dashboard no longer exists.He provided a wealth of state and national data that included charts and tables. Visitors could view cases by county or age group as well as see changes over several days or weeks.Salemi highlighted the extreme increase in deaths and cases.The weekly death toll peaked at 1,522 in the state’s July 24, 2020, report, six months before the vaccine became widely available.The high for 2021 was 2,492 on Sept. 3, 2021, amid the delta variant spike. It reached 434 on Aug. 27.The weekly high for 2022 was 1,570 on Jan. 21, 2022, during the omicron variant.Testing and casesThough the vaccine then was only available for selected people, including those 65 and older, testing had become widespread.Florida’s daily record for COVID-19 tests was 276,589 on Jan. 3, 2021, for tests received by the state from laboratories on that specific date. Despite widespread places to be tested, some people waited in line for a few hours.At-home tests later became available and data were reported to agencies. The CDC no longer tracks confirmed cases.Florida still lists case data with a total of 7,358,442 individuals who have a positive SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) result or antigen result. In 2025, there were 215,904 cases.Weekly cases reached 393,643 on the week of Dec. 24, 2021, for a daily average of 56,234. The high in 2020 during the summer was 81,139 on July 10.At one time when the state was issuing daily totals, the highest increase was 76,618 on Jan. 8, 2021.It was a Sunday night on March 1, 2020, when the Florida Department of Health announced on Twitter that a 29-year-old Tampa-area woman and a 53-year-old man in Manatee County had “presumptive cases” of coronavirus, the first ones in the state.On March 5, the first two fatalities were reported in Santa Rosa and Lee counties. The department issued its first summary report on March 16.The first death in the United States was reported on Feb. 29, 2020, after the first case on Jan. 18. VaccinesBesides fatalities and cases, Florida also has continued to post vaccine data.Over five years, the state reports there have been 25,921,215 vaccine doses administered.A person is considered to have received a COVID-19 vaccination if they have received a dose of approved vaccines. A person is only counted once per time period displayed.In October, the CDC accepted new guidelines last month for the new COVID-19 vaccine.People ages 6 months and older can get the booster, but they have to take an extra step first.“You can still get a shot this fall, it’s just a quick conversation with your clinician or pharmacist to decide what’s right for you,” Salemi said. “Basically, instead of saying everyone should get a booster, the message is more like you may choose to get a vaccine after talking to your health care provider.”
Florida ended 2025 with 2,413 residents dying from COVID-19 after the state passed the 100,000 fatality milestone several months earlier.
The Florida Department of Health issued its final 2025 weekly report on Dec. 26 with data involving deaths, cases and vaccines.
Nearly six years after the first fatality was reported on March 5, 2020, the death toll has reached 101,459 for a daily average of 48. That represents about one-half of a percent of the state’s 23.3 million population.
The number of deaths passed 100,000 in the May 9 report. But it went virtually unnoticed as the state doesn’t even list a running total. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stopped receiving reports from state agencies on May 11, 2023, when it was no longer a federal emergency. Also, Johns Hopkins and Worldometers stopped tracking the disease.
Early in the pandemic, the CDC was reporting daily statistics, but then cut them back to weekly. Florida started out with twice-daily figures with a dashboard that included detailed information, including cases by ZIP code.
The state went to weekly reports on June 4, 2021, and biweekly in March 27, 2022, then back to weekly after a court case.
The CDC does list deaths, but they are from the National Vital Statistics System, with the latest Florida figure at 86,697 as of Dec. 6. Nationally, there are 1,236,181 deaths.
The Florida agency says “surveillance deaths” meet one of two criteria: a death certificate listing natural causes and the death occurred within 30 days of their case event date or had a death certificate listing COVID-19 “as an immediate cause of death, underlying cause of death, or significant condition contributing to death.”
The surveillance case definition for COVID-19 deaths differs from the definition used for Florida’s Bureau of Vital Statistics.
Broken down by county, Miami-Dade has the most deaths at 13,661, followed by Broward at 7,651 and Palm Beach at 7,109.
On the Treasure Coast, 1,673 have been reported in St. Lucie County, with 961 in Indian River and 954 in Martin. Okeechobee County has 244, with its first fatalities not reported until July 11, 2020.
According to the CDC’s data, Florida ranks fourth behind California at 117,466, Texas at 107,716 and New York at 86,79. Florida is the third most populous state behind No. 1 California and Texas.
Florida’s yearly death toll grew from 23,353 in 2020 to 39,881 in 2021 but dropped to 21,341 in 2022, 8,453 in 2023, 6038 in 2024 and then the 2,413 last year.
“That’s not to trivialize the fact that 2,000 people in Florida have had a COVID-19-related death this year, but that’s 61% fewer than just last year and 94% fewer than the worst of the pandemic,” Jason Salemi, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at the University of South Florida Health, told the Tampa Bay Times in November.
Salemi created a dashboard to provide reliable information and combat misinformation, he said he saw regularly spread about the disease on the internet and elsewhere. The dashboard no longer exists.
He provided a wealth of state and national data that included charts and tables. Visitors could view cases by county or age group as well as see changes over several days or weeks.
Salemi highlighted the extreme increase in deaths and cases.
The weekly death toll peaked at 1,522 in the state’s July 24, 2020, report, six months before the vaccine became widely available.
The high for 2021 was 2,492 on Sept. 3, 2021, amid the delta variant spike. It reached
434 on Aug. 27.
The weekly high for 2022 was 1,570 on Jan. 21, 2022, during the omicron variant.
Testing and cases
Though the vaccine then was only available for selected people, including those 65 and older, testing had become widespread.
Florida’s daily record for COVID-19 tests was 276,589 on Jan. 3, 2021, for tests received by the state from laboratories on that specific date. Despite widespread places to be tested, some people waited in line for a few hours.
At-home tests later became available and data were reported to agencies. The CDC no longer tracks confirmed cases.
Florida still lists case data with a total of 7,358,442 individuals who have a positive SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) result or antigen result. In 2025, there were 215,904 cases.
Weekly cases reached 393,643 on the week of Dec. 24, 2021, for a daily average of 56,234. The high in 2020 during the summer was 81,139 on July 10.
At one time when the state was issuing daily totals, the highest increase was 76,618 on Jan. 8, 2021.
It was a Sunday night on March 1, 2020, when the Florida Department of Health announced on Twitter that a 29-year-old Tampa-area woman and a 53-year-old man in Manatee County had “presumptive cases” of coronavirus, the first ones in the state.
On March 5, the first two fatalities were reported in Santa Rosa and Lee counties.
The department issued its first summary report on March 16.
The first death in the United States was reported on Feb. 29, 2020, after the first case on Jan. 18.
Vaccines
Besides fatalities and cases, Florida also has continued to post vaccine data.
Over five years, the state reports there have been 25,921,215 vaccine doses administered.
A person is considered to have received a COVID-19 vaccination if they have received a dose of approved vaccines. A person is only counted once per time period displayed.
In October, the CDC accepted new guidelines last month for the new COVID-19 vaccine.
People ages 6 months and older can get the booster, but they have to take an extra step first.
“You can still get a shot this fall, it’s just a quick conversation with your clinician or pharmacist to decide what’s right for you,” Salemi said. “Basically, instead of saying everyone should get a booster, the message is more like you may choose to get a vaccine after talking to your health care provider.”