Governor Ron DeSantis signs human trafficking legislation

LIGHTHOUSE POINT, Fla. — Governor Ron DeSantis signed four human trafficking bills on Tuesday to raise awareness of the signs and impacts of human trafficking and impose critical reforms to hold human traffickers accountable.

Governor DeSantis signed Senate Bill (SB) 7064, Human Trafficking, which supports victims of human trafficking and strengthens penalties for human traffickers by:

• Establishing a civil action for victims of human trafficking against traffickers and providing that victims can recover damages and attorney’s fees from adult entertainment establishments.
• Allowing seized property from a human trafficker to be sold and proceeds be paid as restitution to victims.
• Requiring adult establishments to verify the identity and ages of all employees and establishing a third-degree felony for owners or operators of adult establishments that do not retain such records.
• Requiring offenders of prostitution, lewdness or related acts to attend an educational course on the impacts of human trafficking and negative impacts of commercial sex on people and their communities.

The Governor also signed SB 1690, Sexual Exploitation and Human Trafficking, which expands human trafficking awareness programs and increases human trafficking victim support by:

• Cracking down on repeat violators of human trafficking awareness requirements by shortening the cure period for an initial violation from 90 days to 45 days and imposing daily fines for any subsequent violation.
• Requiring residential treatment centers for children to place signs on their premises to warn children about the dangers of human trafficking and to demonstrate avenues for reporting instances of human trafficking.
• Mandating the Statewide Council on Human Trafficking to conduct a study and make recommendations regarding the regulation of adult safe houses, which provide housing and care specifically for survivors of human trafficking.
• Ensuring security measures for safe houses and safe foster homes includes detection of possible trafficking activity, coordination with law enforcement, and emergency response plans to search for absent or missing children.
• Requiring safe houses and foster homes to give kids age-appropriate programming to educate them on the signs and dangers of commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking, approved by the Department of Children and Families.

Also signed today was HB 1465 which, among other provisions, makes human traffickers eligible for mandatory minimum sentences when they possess or discharge a firearm during the course of their crimes.
Additonally, the Governor signed SB 1210 which provides that a petition for human trafficking victim expunction and all pleadings and documents related to the petition are confidential and exempt from public records requirements.