Category: Awareness

A central Florida attorney is accused of operating a human trafficking ring out of his Melbourne home. He trafficked young girls as young as 15. He said they needed to pay off legal fees and rent for staying at his home. He was recently arrested when he was going to pay a 16 year old girl to have sex with him, and try to recruit the girl to live with him at his home. He is facing charges of racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, unlawful use of a two-way communication device and human trafficking of a minor.

In Tampa, Florida experts believe sex trafficking is not slowing down even with the pandemic of COVID-19. In fact Connie Rose who is the executive director of Victims to Survivors thinks that it is actually growing from this virus. Since predators are able to spend more time online luring and grooming children especially those who are in poor living conditions with family instability

With Covid-19 going on, human trafficking isn’t stopping in Jacksonville, Florida. A news team in Jacksonville spoke with a woman who is currently living in a hotel and said she is working to keep food on the table and a roof over her head. The woman said she’s worried about running into serial killers and rapists. Advocates for sex-trafficking victims contend that there’s a growing demand for the sex trade despite the risks posed by coronavirus.

As Tampa bay, Florida practices social distance due to the virus and staying home to do the orders local nonprofits are concerned about who they can help. Now they are moving things online to help the victims of human trafficking that they can no longer meet in person. With all the students being online now at least until May, training is being enforced for adults to look for red flags to look for in social media. 70% of sex trafficking in minors starts online.

Over the next few months and into next year, there are major sporting events heading to the Tampa Bay area in Florida. WrestleMania and the Super Bowl. The adult businesses in the area must 3make sure they are complying with a human trafficking ordinance. Teams in Hillsborough Counties are looking to check to see if they have signs that are the right size and show the correct information at strip clubs and massage parlors. These signs must be displayed in different languages as well. If business are not in compliance, they will get a notice that says they have 30 days to update or they could be cited.

Four men have been arrested in St. Petersburg, Florida for a range of child sex crimes. These men were communicating online with who they thought were children however, they were undercover detectives. The four men range in ages from 27-54. All four of these men were released from jail after paying the bail.

The next 12 months will be a busy time for Tampa, Florida. Two major sporting events are coming, and the city is preparing for them now. WrestleMania and the Super Bowl will bring in thousands of sports fans to the city. Major sporting events like this can attract more illegal sex trade. Hillsborough County created a commission on human tracking, and they met for the first time this week. They crated a hero program which is designed for the community and business to look out for signs.

Following Super Bowl 54 in Miami, Florida twenty-two women trapped in human trafficking were rescued over Super Bowl weekend. The victims were all female ranging from ages of 15 to 38. Four of the victims were from Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, 14 from other states and four from foreign countries. Five people were charged with trafficking and three of them on federal crimes. Eight buyers were also arrested. With the joined forces of local, state and federal agencies it was a success said a special agent of Homeland Security.

In Tampa, Florida a man was convicted in 2019 involving a minor. He told the judge that he kept hearing voices. Court records show that they met with another man at an apartment complex. A search warrant shows text messaging showing the location of the meet up and the price. Also, with the phone records they came across websites used for prostitution.

A student organization group at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida held a conference on human trafficking to educate students and others who wanted to learn more about this issue. There were many guest speakers who talked about different topics in human trafficking. The history on human trafficking and the laws on human trafficking. Case studies were read that the audience interacted with. This conference was put on by the TOT which is Triumph Over Trafficking.