Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and a coalition of state, federal, and private partners warned Floridians Tuesday of a heightened risk of human trafficking, a day after Miami hosted its first of seven FIFA World Cup matches.
Up to one million visitors are anticipated in the greater Miami area alone during soccer’s top global tournament.
“We are still ranked very high when it comes to top locations for human trafficking, not just in the country — but in the world,” Uthmeier said during a press conference at Florida International University.
He was quick to note that the statistic is not the fault of law enforcement, but just the “nature of our state.”
“We have a big economy, we have a lot of international traffic, very large coastline, tons of professional sporting events, entertainment — you name it. It’s naturally going to be a challenge,” he continued. “We have got to do better.”
More than 50 partners across the business and private sectors have now joined a statewide alliance against human trafficking, Uthmeier said. This includes ride-share companies, law enforcement companies, and retailers. Starbucks, for example, pledged to donate $1 million to the cause.
This comes one day after Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium hosted its first World Cup game, Uruguay vs. Saudi Arabia. There’ll be six more, with the last game the third-place match on July 18.
State leaders in April agreed to dole out $105 million in federal dollars for World Cup security, the Phoenix previously reported. This includes $89.1 million for the Florida Division of Emergency Management and $16.2 million for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
During the press conference, Miami-Dade State Attorney Fernandez Rundle said her office has “doubled and tripled” undercover operations targeting human trafficking. “Which means we’re going to be flooding hotels and restaurants, we’re going to be flooding all of the service providers.”
Since March, Fernandez Rundle said, there have been 19 undercover operations resulting in 100 arrests and 178 charges. In one recent operation with Homestead police, 13 men attempting to purchase sex from girls ages 13 to 15 were arrested.
All officials encouraged citizens to be vigilant and call 305-FIX-STOP, an anti-human trafficking hotline, if something “appears not right.”
“This is the most important work we do in this state,” Uthmeier said.
Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Contact Michael Moline for questions: [email protected]. Follow Florida Phoenix on Facebook and Twitter.
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