This week, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody (R) announced a new human trafficking initiative. Most recently, the AG Moody addressed rising smash-and-grab robberies, but now the new initiative invites business owners to train staff, so they can report instances of human trafficking. Calling it an effort to have “partners in the community,” Moody was joined by several other political figures in unveiling the initiative.
Florida Lt. Governor Jeanette Nuñez (R) stood alongside Moody, and Nuñez assured the press that human trafficking is a “threat on the radar of Governor Ron DeSantis.”
Informing that Florida ranks third in the U.S. when it comes to reports directed to the national human trafficking hotline, Nuñez added that “that is a number that we are not content with.”
“I know you’re not content with it, and we are not going to stand idly,” she said.
With this proposal, House Bill 615, the Statewide Council on Human Trafficking would be developing the training provided for companies.
Speaking of the importance of the initiative, Moody expressed that “we can’t be everywhere. I wish we had a tremendous law enforcement presence in every area of our state to watch out and protect citizens.”
However, with this training, she feels that it will only create “partners in the community.”
The initiative is called the “100 Percent Club,” which pays homage to businesses that have pledged their commitment to training 100 percent of their employees on how to recognize and report instances of human trafficking.
Jeff Jackson, the CEO of PGT Industries, commented that “it’s an incredible blight on society, and in the US we actually have human trafficking slaves in this economy and environment.”
“We know first hand accounts where a trucker at a rest stop, knew the signs, was trained on the signs of human trafficking and rescued a victim, so we know this will work,” affirmed Moody.
