Ana Ceballos
Lawmakers want to put an end to “modern day slavery” by creating a Florida human trafficking hotline under two identical proposals that have yet to gain momentum in the state Legislature.
Those advocating for the measures, HB 159 and SB 596, urged lawmakers on Monday to back the proposals and give them hearings in their committee assignments. The bills would require the Attorney General’s Office to create and operate a toll-free hotline, which would be subject to funding approval.
Since 2012, Florida has received the third highest numbers of calls to the national human trafficking hotline, trailing California and Texas, according to the national hotline’s data.
“This is a glaring reflection of the magnitude of the problem in Florida, and shows why the state needs its own hotline, one that is capable of focusing specifically on the unique challenges experienced here,” said former Sen. Maria Sachs, who runs a human trafficking foundation.
Sen. Perry Thurston and state Rep. Robert Asencio are championing the bills in an effort to better identify areas in the state affected by human trafficking. Both of their bills have been referred to three committee assignments, but have yet to be heard.
Under the proposals, HB 159 and SB 596, the Attorney General’s Office would also be tasked with pushing education campaigns that would help people identify warning signs of trafficking.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has urged multi-state collaboration to combat human trafficking and has pledged to put a stop to human trafficking in Florida in the past by saying the state is taking a “zero-tolerance” stance on the crime.
Former U.S. Attorney Pam Marsh, who fought investigated human trafficking in the Northern District of Florida from 2010-15, said the state is “ground zero in the fight against human trafficking.”
“We must draw trafficking out of the shadows, and expose it to the full light of day,” Marsh said. “Only then can we eradicate it.”
