The number of reported drug overdose deaths in America topped 70,400 in 2017, a 10.2 percent increase over 2016, according to new estimates released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency estimated the number of drug overdose deaths in Florida at 5,437, 8.8 percent higher than in 2016. Opioids accounted for 67.7 percent of the deaths, while synthetic opioids represented a growing portion of overdoses. The White House estimates that opioid addictions cost U.S. emergency responders, courts and health care providers more than $500 billion a year.