Kelly Hayes
The room and home hosting service Airbnb has announced it will designate a specialized customer service team to support hosts and guests in the Tampa Bay area as Super Bowl LV approaches.
This additional measure of support will focus on any issues that may arise in the area in the next week. The team will promote safety and security for hosts, guests and neighbors.
The move to create extra provisions ahead of the big game is part of the hosting service’s ongoing work to promote public health and responsible travel, including cleaning practices and tips on how to spot human trafficking. The hosting service also banned parties in the interest of public health, creating a 16-person occupancy limit and a hotline for neighbors to call to report problems or non-compliance.
Recently, the company partnered with global anti-trafficking group “It’s a Penalty” to combat human trafficking in Tampa by educating hosts on the issue and informing them on how to spot and report it.
Big sporting events like the Super Bowl can increase human trafficking due to an influx of visitors. And Florida has the third-highest rate of human trafficking cases reported by the state, according to leading anti-trafficking organization Polaris.
This is another in a line of several efforts to prepare the area as the Super Bowl approaches.
Attorney General Ashley Moody also recently joined It’s a Penalty to unveil educational signage and other displays at Tampa International Airport. Multiple players from the National Football League are also participating in a public service announcement on the issue.
During last year’s Super Bowl in Miami-Dade County, state officials made similar pushes to increase awareness.
Uber drivers will also be displaying tags providing hotline help numbers.
Research has shown Tampa has the 12th highest rate of human trafficking reports per capita in the U.S.
To report suspicions of human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
