Related video above: 2024 Election – Abortion rights are taking center stage

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida health officials released new data this month detailing the number of abortions performed in counties across the state.

The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, the state’s main healthcare policy entity, tracked the reasons behind terminations and broke down the numbers county-by-county for the first 11 months of 2023.

From January 1 to November 30, 2023, Florida physicians performed 72,087 abortion procedures, according to the report.

About 97% of procedures were considered to be “elective,” meaning they were performed for social or economic reasons, or for non-life threatening health concerns. The report states that the rest of the procedures were performed due to life-threatening physical conditions, serious or fatal fetal abnormalities, rape and incest. One abortion was performed on a victim of human trafficking.

The vast majority of procedures were performed during the pregnancies’ first trimester, while 6,565 occurred during the second trimester. No abortions were performed in the third trimester because Florida’s 15-week abortion ban went into effect in July 2022.

A more restrictive six-week ban is tied up in the courts as Florida Supreme Court justices decide the fate of the 15-week limit. If the court allows the 15-week law to remain in place, the 6-week ban will immediately go into effect.

The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration report found that the state’s more populous counties, like Miami-Dade, Broward and Hillsborough, performed the most abortions. A handful of counties, mostly located in the Panhandle region, saw less than 20 procedures this year, so the report did not include a specific number “for patient confidentiality.”

Alachua – 724
Baker – 46
Bay – 333
Bradford – 42
Brevard – 1,056
Broward – 8,894
Calhoun – <20
Charlotte – 260
Citrus – 156
Clay – 397
Collier – 696
Columbia – 140
Dade – 14,793
Desoto – 64
Dixie – 41
Duval – 3,591
Escambia – 445

Holmes – <20
Indian River – 287
Jackson – 43
Jefferson – 23
Lafayette – <20
Flagler – 166
Franklin – <20
Gadsden – 100
Gilchrist – <20
Glades – <20
Gulf – <20
Hamilton – 36
Hardee – 45
Hendry – 115
Hernando – 308
Highlands – 145
Hillsborough – 6,018



Osceola – 1,021
Palm Beach – 4,352
Pasco – 1,041
Lake – 640
Lee – 1,714
Leon – 976
Levy – 74
Liberty – <20
Madison – 31
Manatee – 752
Marion – 751
Martin – 277
Monroe – 57
Nassau – 112
Okaloosa – 302
Okeechobee – 79
Orange – 4,768

Pinellas – 2,808
Polk – 2,085
Putnam – 130
St. Johns – 305
St. Lucie – 844
Santa Rosa – 130
Sarasota – 732
Seminole – 1,037
Sumter – 86
Suwannee – 61
Taylor – 30
Union – 21
Volusia – 1,094
Wakulla – 50
Walton – 76
Washington – <20
Out of State – 6,566

6,566 out-of-state residents travelled to Florida for an abortion, according to the report.

Florida voters may have the chance to weigh in on abortion rights in 2024. A citizen ballot initiative, titled “Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion” would enshrine the right to abortion in the Florida constitution, if passed.

But first, it has to make it onto the ballot. The measure was recently taken up by Florida Supreme Court justices as part of the judicial review process. It’s a major hurdle the proposed amendment must clear before voters can decide its fate.

Abortion advocates worry the overwhelmingly conservative makeup of the court, with five of the seven justices appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, means the citizen initiative is effectively dead in the water. Florida’s Supreme Court justices also have strong ties to the pro-life movement and legislative advocacy.

As of Friday, the abortion rights measure still needs over 200,000 valid signatures to qualify for the 2024 ballot.