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One year ago this month Governor Rick Scott launched a strike force to help shed Florida of its title as Pill Mill Capital of the World. Today Scott announced statistics showing the state’s progress in the war on painkillers. As Whitney Ray tells us, law enforcement officers are trying to get ahead of the problem enlisting the help of pharmacists and looking for shady weight loss clinics.

Winning the war on pills Governor Rick Scott announced new statistic Wednesday, showing the state is finally getting a handle on the prescription drug trade.

“The strike force is having a dramatic impact getting this off our street,” said Scott.

Those statistics show a drop in the number of pain clinics; 800 statewide when Scott launched the Florida Drug Strike Force a year ago. Now there are 500, most of them legit.

In 2010, Florida was home to 90 of the nation’s top 100 oxycodone dispensing doctors. Today just 13 are still writing prescriptions in Florida. A promising sign, but according to Attorney General Pam Bondi, there’s still work to do.

“We are fighting it from all fronts and we are here today to tell you we will continue that fight, said Bondi.

Half a million pain pills have been seized and 34 doctors arrested. FDLE Spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger says with the state striking such a huge blow, people in the prescription drug trade are running for cover.

“Bad guys don’t stop they just change their business model or move in to other areas,” said Plessinger.

The new front for pill mills may be weight loss clinics or fitness centers. Investigators are on the lookout for businesses with good names, dispensing bad medicine.

And the number one statistic law enforcement officers want to see improve is the death count. In 2010, before the strike force was launched, more than 12-hundred 50 Floridians overdosed on prescription drugs; that’s about seven people a day. The number has fallen by almost a hundred… so some progress but it’s clear more needs to be done.