Statewide Council On Human Trafficking Convenes At Stetson
By Space Coast Daily // June 25, 2015
15-member council combats human trafficking
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Attorney General Pam Bondi convened a meeting of the Statewide Council on Human Trafficking on Thursday at the Stetson University College of Law.
Bondi chairs the 15-member council that builds on existing state and local partnerships working to combat human trafficking.
Bondi worked with Florida’s legislative leaders to create the Statewide Council on Human Trafficking.
Members include law enforcement officers, prosecutors, legislators, as well as experts in the fields of health, education and social services. The Council was created through legislation passed and signed into law earlier this year.
27 Million People Enslaved Worldwide
According to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, there are 27 million people enslaved worldwide.
In 2013, the National Human Trafficking Resource Center ranked Florida third in the number of calls received by the center’s human trafficking hotline.
Victims of human trafficking include children, women and men who are subjected to sexual exploitation or forced labor through force, fraud or coercion.
According to a study of U.S. Department of Justice human trafficking task force cases, 83 percent of sex trafficking victims identified in the United States were U.S. citizens. The average age that a trafficked victim is first used for commercial sex is 12–14.
Bondi is committed to an all-hands-on-deck approach to eradicating human trafficking.
The Statewide Council on Human Trafficking was created to support human trafficking victims by enhancing care options available.
Council Duties
- Develop recommendations for comprehensive programs and services including recommendations for certification of safe houses & safe foster homes.
- Make recommendations for apprehending and prosecuting traffickers and enhancing coordination of responses.
- Hold an annual statewide policy summit with an institution of higher learning.
- Work with the Department of Children and Families to create and maintain an inventory of human trafficking programs and services our state.
- Develop overall policy recommendations.
Council Members
- The Honorable Pam Bondi, Attorney General, Chair
- Mike Carroll, Secretary, Department of Children and Families, Vice Chair
- The Honorable Denise Grimsley, Florida Senate
- The Honorable Jeanette Nuñez, Florida House of Representatives
- The Honorable Katherine Fernandez Rundle, State Attorney 11th Judicial Circuit, Miami-Dade
- The Honorable William D. Snyder, Sheriff, Martin County
- Dr. John Armstrong, State Surgeon General, Department of Health
- Elizabeth Dudek, Secretary, Agency for Health Care Administration
- Pam Stewart, Commissioner, Department of Education
- Richard L. Swearingen, Executive Director, Florida Department of Law Enforcement
- Christina Daly, Secretary, Department of Juvenile Justice
- Philip Thorne, Chief, Springfield Police Department
- Terry Coonan, FSU Center for the Advancement of Human Rights
- Dotti Groover-Skipper, Statewide Anti-Trafficking Coordinator for the Salvation Army & Chair of the FREE Network
- Lee Lowry, The Junior League – Tampa Chapter
