A fourth Florida resident has died from a Vibrio infection, this time in Broward County, as state health officials track 20 confirmed cases across Florida in 2026.
Doctors say the Vibrio bacteria breeds in warm lake, salt, and brackish waters — the kind Floridians swim in all summer long.
“That particular one can get pretty aggressive,” said Dr. Daniel Egan, an infectious disease physician at Orlando Health. “Fortunately, cases are rare, but we always see upticks in cases around this time of year.”
Any wound is a door for infection
Dr. Egan says even the smallest cut gives Vibrio a way into your body. A tiny nick from shaving. A blister from a sandal. A scrape on a rock. All of it counts.
“It starts off where the wound itself gets more red, gets more painful, redness starts to spread beyond the wound itself,” Egan said, “and then it can progress even to what people call flesh-eating bacteria.”
Waterborne infections like this tend to move fast — the incubation window is between 24 hours and a few days, Dr. Egan said.
Confirmed Cases of Vibrio Vulnificus by County
Source: Florida Department of Health
Updated 9:30 a.m. ET, September 3, 2026
| County | 2025 Cases | 2025 Deaths | 2026 Cases | 2026 Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alachua | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bay | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Brevard | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Broward | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Charlotte | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Citrus ‡ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Clay | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Collier | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Duval | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Escambia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Flagler | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hernando ‡ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hillsborough ‡ | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Lee ‡ | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Leon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Manatee | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marion | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Martin | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Miami-Dade | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Nassau | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Okaloosa | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Palm Beach | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Pasco ‡ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pinellas ‡ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Polk | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Santa Rosa | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Sarasota ‡ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seminole | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| St. Johns | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Sumter | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Volusia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Walton | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Washington | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 33 | 5 | 20 | 4 |
* In 2022, Collier and Lee counties experienced an unusual increase due to the impacts of Hurricane Ian.‡ In 2024, Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lee, Pasco, Pinellas, and Sarasota counties experienced an unusual increase due to the impacts of Hurricane Helene.
The risk doesn’t stop at the water’s edge
Vibrio isn’t only a threat in the ocean. Dr. Egan says you can also be exposed by eating raw or undercooked shellfish — especially oysters.
He recommends eating at reputable restaurants and paying close attention to contamination risks during food preparation if you’re cooking seafood at home.
The Florida Department of Health advises cooking oysters thoroughly: boil them in the shell until they open, then continue boiling for five more minutes, or steam until they open and cook nine additional minutes. Do not eat shellfish that do not open during cooking.
