Four people are dead, and more than half a dozen are sick, after contracting a rare "flesh-eating bacteria" in Florida this year, state health officials confirmed. The Vibrio vulnificus bacteria, found in saltwater, brackish water and inside raw or undercooked seafood, led to deaths in Bay, Broward, Hillsborough and St. Johns counties, according to the Florida Department of Health (FDOH). So far in 2025, 11 people contracted Vibrio vulnificus across Florida, with four dying and seven becoming ill, the FDOH reported on July 11. The FDOH did not specify the source of the new cases or say where the ill contracted the bacteria.