TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month in Florida, as recognized by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody with a Cabinet Resolution signed by the Governor and all Florida Cabinet members. The U.S. Department of State estimates that there are 27.6 million victims of human trafficking worldwide at any given time. Attorney General Moody is committed to ending trafficking in Florida and training as many Floridians as possible to spot and report suspicious activity.
According to Attorney General Ashley Moody, Florida has a zero-tolerance policy for human trafficking. The Statewide Prosecutors work tirelessly to stop traffickers and have achieved a nearly perfect conviction rate. Thousands of Floridians have been trained to recognize and report potential signs of trafficking, from truck drivers to those in the hospitality and medical industry, and beyond. Governor Ron DeSantis emphasized Florida’s efforts to eliminate human trafficking and protect vulnerable children, stating that the state will continue to crack down on the criminals involved in human trafficking.
Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis noted the horrifying statistic that Florida ranks third in the nation in reports to the national human trafficking hotline. He advocated for legislation to provide training to the state’s fire safety inspectors on how to identify and recognize human trafficking. Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson highlighted the importance of as many eyes and ears as possible throughout communities to identify and report suspected cases of human trafficking.
Florida continues to lead the way in combating human trafficking, providing funding for therapeutic services to support survivors and maintaining task forces in all 20 Florida judicial circuits to help with law enforcement and prosecutors’ coordination on human trafficking cases. Attorney General Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution prosecutes multi-judicial circuit cases of human trafficking in Florida with a nearly perfect conviction record.
Attorney General Moody serves as Chair of the Statewide Council on Human Trafficking, which consists of law enforcement leaders, prosecutors, legislators, and experts in various fields. The council works to enhance the development and coordination of state and local law enforcement and social services responses to fight all forms of human trafficking and to support victims.
Floridians are urged to learn the signs of human trafficking and report suspicious activity. To report suspected human trafficking to law enforcement in Florida, individuals can call 1(855) FLA-SAFE.