There’s an epidemic sweeping parts of Florida, maybe more. It’s not swine flu.
It’s domestic violence.
One of the areas in which it is most pervasive is Orange County, in central Florida. Ironically, Disney territory.
Not only poor areas. But also areas near the University of Central Florida.
The police, sheriff’s office, the Department of Children and Family Services and Harbor House, a shelter for victims of domestic violence, are joining forces to take aim at the problem.
Drop in centers to educate victims on their options are planned for domestic violence hotspots throughout the county, based on what is being called a “domestic abuse map”.
Mapped hotspots correspond to transient communities.
Last year, 5000 incidents of family violence were reported in Orange County.
As of the year 2000, the county’s population was under 900,000.
Shelters and related facilities in Orange County are already strained to capacity.
Read more in this Orlando Sentinel article: Domestic-abuse map points the way for help and the portal About’s Central Florida Statistics.