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Florida Cracks Down on Human Trafficking Ahead of 2020 Super Bowl

June 27th, 2019 by Jake Stofan

Just a few days after a human trafficking sting in Tampa yielded 85 arrests, Governor Ron DeSantis has approved a law that seeks to crack down on the illicit trade.

Florida ranks third in the nation for the number of reports human trafficking cases, but lawmakers wanted to let traffickers to know that Florida is closed for business this past legislative session.

Senate sponsor Lauren Book fought for the creation of a Soliciting for Prostitution Registry.

It will allow FDLE to track pimps and johns.

“In a 2011 study that interviewed hundreds of sex buyers it was asked, ‘What would deter you from purchasing sex?’ And the highest deterrent at 89 percent was this public database,” said Book.

In addition, the law requires law enforcement, certain healthcare workers and hospitality staff to under go training to better identify and report possible trafficking victims.

“This activity is unfortunately is taking place in hotels and motels in the state of Florida. We don’t want to be part of that industry,” said Samantha Padgett with the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association.

The law will also make it easier for the Department of Health to shut down and revoke licenses of massage parlors and strip clubs that are caught trafficking, or employ people with histories of trafficking.

The changes come as the state gears up to host the 2020 Super Bowl.

Large sporting events are often hotspots for trafficking and Attorney General Ashley Moody is making her own preparations.

Moody’s Office will be partnering with Uber to train drivers in Miami ahead of the game.

“They can help us be the eyes and ears on the ground to prevent human trafficking. One of the things the bill does is it does encourage a private-public partnership,” said Moody.

In the week of last year’s Super Bowl in Atlanta, more than 160 people were arrested on human trafficking charges.

Many of the changes the law makes won’t take effect immediately.

For example, the training requirements for healthcare workers and hospitality staff doesn’t become mandatory until 2021.

Training for all law enforcement isn’t required to be completed until 2022.

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