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Florida Child Abuse Deaths Continue Decreasing

TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/AP) — Fewer of Florida's kids are being neglected to the point of death.

A total of 130 children were fatally abused in Florida in 2011 – a decrease from the previous year – according to a new state report released Friday.

The report also revealed verified child abuse or neglect deaths have continued to drop the last few years.

Most of the children who died were under the age of five.

A state committee that reviewed nearly all of the verified deaths concluded that most of the children died from neglect, with 32 children dying from drowning and 30 children dying as a result of unsafe sleeping practices that can lead to suffocation.

The state review concluded that most of the children who died from abuse had been previously abused.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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