Category: Florida

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.

Car Credit Tampa is a used car dealership in Tampa, Florida and they donated $2,000 in cash to a charitable organization to assist in their efforts. Gulfcoast Legal Services, Inc. was the award winner. GLS has distinguished themselves in the area, steadily demonstrating their dedication to serving vulnerable individuals in the county. GLS serves those living in poverty, low-wage workers, persons with disabilities, veterans, the homeless, the LGBTQ community, victims of domestic violence or human trafficking, and the elderly. GLS provides assistance to the Hispanic community via civil legal assistance in the areas of immigration, human trafficking, family law, financial stability, and housing.

A 47-year old Facebook moderator in Tampa, Florida is suing Facebook for his PTSD from watching graphic content. Content moderator’s watch graphic content all day. In July 2019, he had to take a leave of absence from his job after being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Other Facebook workers are saying that the hours of other disturbing content are harming their mental health.

The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority was awarded $43,630 in federal grants to train PTSA employees to recognize the signs of human trafficking. Human traffickers know they need to operate in the shadows, and they use public transportation to move the victims. The bus drivers and transit employees operate on the frontline in the fight of human trafficking. Florida is third in human trafficking behind California and Texas. With Pinellas County, Florida receiving this grant the numbers will drop.

A tattoo shop in Inverness, Florida is helping after they found out that woman and children are being branded and sold for sex in the Tampa Bay area. This has led to tattoo shops from Bradenton to Orlando offering services to cover up tattoos to victims. Twisted Ink was named part of Survivor’s Ink Network of tattoo shops. “The national nonprofit helps human trafficking victims remove brandings.” They will cover the cost of the tattoo and the artist.

A 38-year-old man was arrested in Tampa, Florida one count of human trafficking. This man few a 21-year-old woman to Tampa from Nebraska for the week. When the victim met with police, she said he was helping her become a plus size model for lingerie and swimsuits. She states when she was at the hotel she did not engage in any activity and she used her own money to keep the man happy.

The city of Tampa, Florida is getting ready for next years Super Bowl. The last time the Super Bowl was held in Tampa, was in 2009. Since 2009, the Tampa Bay police have added new features to their department. They now have the Real Time Crime Center, where the staff can monitor any city-owned camera. The Department of Homeland Security have reports that teach lessons for the Super Bowl.

Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez has teamed up with the NFL as part of the “Stop Sex Trafficking Campaign”. It will educate the public on signs on potential trafficking with visual materials. The NFL, law enforcement, and government agencies as well as over 300 state and local businesses, have joined forces for this campaign. Also, flight attendants, hotel, and rideshare employees will be trained. Sunday February 2nd is the Super Bowl and in Miami. FL. there will be an influx number of visitors in the city.

The state of Florida ranks third in the county for human trafficking and it is up 25%. With the Super Bowl being in Miami this year, law enforcement agencies are on high alert. This is good news that people are on high alert. Selah Freedom is a national anti-trafficking organization based out of Sarasota. They’ve helped train law enforcement and they helped in the Super Bowl in Houston. This year, the support is even larger. You will see the number posted everywhere. Large sporting events drive human trafficking up 10 times more than usual. Selah Freedom is in Sarasota, Florida and the Sarasota Police Department is setting the benchmark and keeping traffickers away.

Florida leaders at the state and federal level are hoping to prevent human trafficking through education.
Proposals now in front of the state Board of Education and Congress would make sure kids learn about human trafficking in schools.