Introduction

Attorney General Bondi worked with Florida’s legislative leaders to create the Statewide Council on Human Trafficking.

The 15-member Council chaired by Attorney General Bondi, will build on existing state and local partnerships working to combat 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.

About Human Trafficking

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 3rd 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.

Attorney General Bondi is committed to an all-hands-on-deck approach to eradicating human trafficking.

Council Duties

The Statewide Council on Human Trafficking was created to support human trafficking victims by enhancing care options available.

Council duties include:

• 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

1. The Honorable Pam Bondi, Attorney General, Chair
2. Mike Caroll, Secretary, Department of Children and Families, Vice Chair
3. The Honorable Denise Grimsley, Florida Senate
4. The Honorable Jeanette Nunez, Florida House of Representatives
5. The Honorable Katherine Fernandez Rundle, State Attorney 11th Judicial Cir., Miami-Dade
6. The Honorable William D. Snyder, Sheriff, Martin County
7. Dr. John Armstrong, State Surgeon General, Department of Health
8. Elizabeth Dudek, Secretary, Agency for Health Care Administration
9. Pam Stewart, Commissioner, Department of Education
10. Richard L. Swearingen, Executive Director, Florida Department of Law Enforcement
11. Christina Daly, Secretary, Department of Juvenile Justice
12. Philip Thorne, Chief, Springfield Police Department
13. Terry Coonan, FSU Center for the Advancement of Human Rights
14. Dotti Groover-Skipper, Tampa Human Trafficking Community Campaign
15. Lee Lowry, The Junior League – Tampa Chapter

Meetings

Contact

If you have questions or information to provide to the Council please email: nilda.pedrosa@myfloridalegal.com.

All media inquiries should be directed to the Office of Communications at 850-245-0150.