Florida Governor, Attorney General Cabinet Recognize January as Human Trafficking Prevention Month with Cabinet Resolution

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody recognized January as Human Trafficking Prevention Month in Florida with a Cabinet Resolution signed by the Governor and all Florida Cabinet members. According to the U.S. Department of State, there are an estimated 27.6 million victims of human trafficking worldwide at any given time. Attorney General Moody is dedicated to ending trafficking in Florida and training as many Floridians as possible to spot and report suspicious activity.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Florida is a zero-tolerance state for human trafficking. Our Statewide Prosecutors work hard to stop traffickers, with a nearly perfect conviction rate. We also are dedicated to raising awareness of potential signs of trafficking and have trained thousands of Floridians to spot and report this crime—from truck drivers to those who work in our ports, hospitality and medical industry and many others in our state’s workforce. The Governor and Florida Cabinet stand united in our resolve to stop traffickers, rescue victims and end this atrocious crime.”

Governor Ron DeSantis said, “As the federal government continues to ignore the human trafficking that is linked to our open Southern Border, Florida has taken action to eliminate this scourge from our state. We have increased penalties for human traffickers, helped victims recover and expanded our efforts to protect vulnerable children. In 2024, we will continue to do everything we can to crack down on the heinous criminals who participate in human trafficking, and we will continue to protect Florida’s innocent children.”

Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said, “It is a horrifying statistic that Florida ranks third in the nation in reports to the national human trafficking hotline. In 2022, I advocated for legislation that now provides training to our state’s fire safety inspectors on how to identify and recognize human trafficking in Florida. It’s critical for first responders to have this training because a lot of times they are the first ones who identify a case and can save lives. We must do all we can to put an end to human trafficking and it takes every single person working together and sharing information to accomplish that goal. A huge thank you Governor DeSantis, Attorney General Moody and Commissioner Simpson for their support in bringing traffickers to justice.”

Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson said, “It takes a united front to combat human trafficking in our state and country. Having as many eyes and ears as possible throughout our communities to identify and report suspected cases of human trafficking is instrumental to putting an end to this horrific crime. At the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, we are committed to training our employees on signs to look for that may indicate human trafficking and how to report it. I urge all Floridians to take the time to learn the potential signs and indicators of human trafficking and to report any suspicious activity to law enforcement – it could save a life.”

Florida continues to lead the way in combating human trafficking and allocates funding for therapeutic services to support survivors. The state also maintains task forces in all 20 Florida judicial circuits to help 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.

To view the resolution, click here.

Attorney General Moody serves as Chair of the Statewide Council on Human Trafficking, consisting of law enforcement leaders, prosecutors, legislators and experts in the fields of health, education and social services.

The council builds on existing state and local partnerships to eradicate human trafficking. The Statewide Council on Human Trafficking also 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.

Learn the signs of human trafficking and how to report suspicious activity at YouCanStopHT.com.

To report suspected human trafficking to law enforcement in Florida, call 1(855) FLA-SAFE.