More than 700,000 people fell victim to human trafficking in Florida last year, an alarming new study has revealed. Of that number, about 100,000 were children targeted for sex trafficking.
The report, compiled by researchers at the University of South Florida, uses data from a variety of sources, including the Florida department of children and families, to paint a bleak picture of the extent of such crime in the nation’s third most populous state.
“Human trafficking is considered a hidden crime and its victims are often invisible,” Joan Reid, director of the university’s Trafficking in Persons (Tip) Risk to Resilience Research Lab, said.
“The key objective of this report is to make the hidden and invisible visible to those who have the responsibility to act toward disrupting human trafficking in our communities, counties and state.”
Reid and her team analyzed anonymous data from 30 agencies, non-profit partners and public surveys to come up with the 2024 figures, which estimates 500,000 people were victims of labor trafficking.
A significant number are believed to be undocumented migrants, who lack many of the legal protections of authorized workers and are considered especially vulnerable to exploitation. The Florida Policy Institute estimates there are almost 400,000 undocumented workers in key industries including tourism, agriculture and construction.
Another 200,000 people were victims of sex trafficking, about half of whom were minors, the study reveals.
Florida is particularly susceptible for several reasons, the authors say, notably its large population, surfeit of major cities hosting national and international events, a prevalence of airports and ports, and industries where low pay and poor conditions are commonplace.
“Disrupting human trafficking is among the most pressing challenges currently facing Florida’s law enforcement agencies, policymakers, victim service providers, child welfare workers and our concerned public,” Reid said.
She noted a successful undercover operation in May when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) partnered with state law enforcement to arrest 255 people for offenses including prostitution and child exploitation, but said “many questions remain regarding progress and best practices within the focal areas of prevention, protection, prosecution, policy and partnership”.
The study was commissioned by the state under a 2023 law that designated the Tip lab as the official repository for anonymous human-trafficking data, and required it to produce annual reports to better understand trends and the magnitude of criminal activity across the state and over time, and the effectiveness of state-funded initiatives to combat trafficking.
“This report will make a substantial impact on anti-trafficking efforts, resulting in many adults and children being spared from the devastating consequences of human trafficking, and many survivors receiving safe and effective assistance,” Darryl Rouson, a Democratic state senator who sponsored the bill, said.
Reid said collating the report was a painstaking effort, but that it would have profound effects on how the state envisions and enacts anti-trafficking policies.
“A report like this had not been done in the past because it seemed impossible to gather all these strands of data located with so many different organizations,” she said.
