Human Trafficking in Florida
Bottom Line: One of my career long frustrations has been the lack of attention human trafficking receives. There are few thoughts worse to me than helpless individuals sold time and again mostly for sexual purposes. That we lose thousands per year into it, and the problem continues to escalate is deeply disturbing to me. I’d hoped the attention of the Jupiter day spa case or the reevaluating of Jeffrey Epstein abuses would do more to spur change, but it still doesn’t seem to me like we’re winning the battle.
I’m reminded of this because of this story I reported on yesterday... A sting operation into human trafficking in Tampa which resulted in 104 arrests. According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, over the past year Florida has had 306 businesses involved in trafficking, 506 traffickers arrested and 1,771 identified victims – all record highs for the state.
Now, the good news is increased law enforcement success in taking down these traffickers. The bigger problem is the pervasiveness. More arrests seem to lead to more arrests – meaning it’s likely the problem is just more significant than we realized. In Florida’s state session we acted with hospitality workers now receiving training and playing an active role in reporting suspicious situations they witness. We also know law enforcement across the state has been coordinating task forces aimed at curbing abuses. But is it working?
Here’s a recap of what’s happened in Florida in the prior year:
- 400 victims identified/recovered
Notice something there? The victim ID rate has increased by nearly 1,400 year over year! The highest rates of trafficking in the state were recorded in Broward, Miami-Dade, Duval and Orange Counties. And with the Super Bowl set to come to Miami... You see what my concerns are just a few months from now. Thank you to law enforcement for the increased activity and evident success but clearly there’s a huge problem that goes far beyond the salacious details of Robert Kraft massages or Jefferey Epstein abuses. We’ve got much more work to do to protect potential victims who are mostly young girls/women.