Ryan Ray
Clearwater Sen. Jack Latvala announced Thursday that he will seek passage of SB 534, a bill to increase reporting of human trafficking by expanding the public’s awareness of the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline.
The legislation would mandate that the number be posted in all Florida transportation hubs and establishments near major roads, where employees and patrons are most likely encounter victims and perpetrators of trafficking.
“Human trafficking is a sick, but profitable criminal enterprise that affects up to 300,000 children and many young adults in the United States each year,” Latvala said in a prepared statement. “Florida is among the top three states for human trafficking. SB 534 will get more of these cases reported and hopefully help put an end to this widespread practice of modern-day slavery.”
Sponsoring the House companion bill, HB 369, is Rep. Dave Kerner, a Democrat from Palm Springs. Known as an accommodating moderate despite his deep-blue district where Charlie Crist took almost 64 percent of the vote, Kerner likely makes sense as a partner to Latvala on the issue because of his law enforcement background and his earlier work on the issue in 2013.
Both bills were filed in January and have yet to be taken up in committee. They first face the Senate Transportation Committee and House Transportation & Ports Subcommittee respectively.
Human trafficking — by far more prevalent in Florida than in most states — has also been a cause célèbre for Attorney General Pam Bondi.
