When Tampa General Hospital emergency doctor Cathy Carrubba trained in Philadelphia 15 years ago, heroin overdoses were all too common.

These days she's noticed the return of her old enemy.

"It's kind of deja vu for me," she said. "It [the emergency room visits] runs in batches depending on what's on the street. It's been pretty outrageous."

Tampa isn't alone.

Drug deaths in Florida last year increased at such a dramatic rate that the state's new drug czar described the crisis Tuesday as "totally out of control."

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