Why Medical Awareness Matters in Tampa Bay

Understanding the real numbers behind medical misidentification and community safety.

Neurological Conditions in Florida & Tampa Bay

Seizures, Dementia, Brain Injuries, and Cognitive Disorders

  • Over 403,000 adults in Florida live with epilepsy or seizure disorders.
    Seizures can cause confusion, loss of awareness, slurred speech, and unsteady movement all of which can easily be mistaken for intoxication or noncompliance.
  • More than 580,000 Floridians age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s or related dementias.
    Dementia affects memory, judgment, language, and orientation. This increases the risk of wandering, confusion, and behaviors that can be misinterpreted as trespassing, resistance, or suspicious activity

  • About 1 in 8 older adults in Florida is affected by dementia.

With Tampa Bay’s large aging population, this makes dementia awareness and law-enforcement training especially critical in our region.

Mental Health in Our Community

Depression, Crisis Response, and Behavioral Misinterpretation

  • In the Tampa Bay and West Central Florida region, 1 in 6 adults lives with depression.

  • 1 in 12 adults struggles with substance-use disorders, which can overlap with medical or neurological symptoms.

Mental health crises often appear as agitation, withdrawal, confusion, or erratic behavior — responses that should be treated as medical first, not criminal.

Access to Medical & Mental Health Care

Why Lack of Care Increases Risk of Misidentification

Nearly 12% of people in parts of the Tampa Bay area are uninsured.
Limited access to medical and mental-health care increases the likelihood that conditions go untreated raising the risk that a medical emergency becomes a law-enforcement situation instead of a healthcare response.

What This Means

These numbers show that medical and neurological conditions are not rare in Florida or Tampa Bay they are part of everyday life in our community. This is why proper training, clear protocols, de-escalation, medical verification, and community education are essential to prevent medical misidentification, injury, and wrongful criminalization.