Jacksonville Mother Goes Public After Kratom Killed Her Son: 131 Florida Deaths in 2024 Linked to Mitragynine

Why it matters

A Jacksonville mother's firsthand account — paired with new Florida medical examiner data showing 131 mitragynine-linked deaths in 2024 alone — puts a human face on the state's escalating kratom crisis as a key emergency regulation is set to expire at the end of June.

The big picture

Florida banned 7-OH products above 0.04% concentration via emergency rule in August 2025, but that ban expires June 30, 2026. A state bill that would have permanently extended protections failed to pass in the most recent legislative session. Meanwhile, kratom product potency has increased dramatically as manufacturers chemically concentrate alkaloids far beyond naturally occurring levels.

Key findings

• 131 Floridians died in 2024 with mitragynine — a kratom compound — listed as cause of death, according to Florida Medical Examiner Commission records
• Another 93 Florida deaths had mitragynine present at time of death in the same year
• Robert 'Wyatt' Wheeler, 27, died October 25, 2022, after taking kratom products he believed were a harmless herbal supplement
• Sophros Recovery in Tampa reports new kratom patients grew from 1–2 per month to 5–10 per month over the past six months
• Florida's 7-OH emergency rule expires June 30; manufacturers responded by creating chemical analogs that technically evade the ban's definitions

What they say

"We had an emergency here about a month ago where a client overdosed on a kratom alkaloid that he bought at a gas station. The client was unresponsive. We had to administer two doses of Narcan to revive him. This is not a mild problem. We are seeing overdoses and deaths." — Nick Padlo, CEO of Sophros Recovery, Tampa

Bottom line

**Florida recorded 131 kratom-linked deaths in 2024, and the state's emergency 7-OH protection expires June 30 — leaving a regulatory vacuum that treatment providers and grieving families are calling a public health emergency.**