TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — As we get ready to close out the legislative session on Friday, Tampa-based State Rep. Jackie Toledo (R, District 60) hopes a bill calling for more protections for human trafficking survivors passes.
“After speaking to advocates and survivors of human trafficking, there’s still so much more we can do,” Toledo said.
The bill, cracking down on prostitution and human trafficking, unanimously passed last week in the House.
It died Wednesday night in the Senate. That was after it was amended onto a separate bill, SB 772, that senators passed earlier this month.
Rep. Toledo is now working to place the measure on a different bill the Senate is expected to hear before the session ends Friday night.
The original measure calls for increased penalties for first time sex buying, from a first-degree misdemeanor to a third-degree felony. It bans one-hour hotels, motels and vocational rentals and gives survivors the opportunity to expunge their criminal records.
Survivor Janice Johnson says passing this portion of the bill is vital to a survivor’s recovery.
“I can a apply for a job and I don’t have to check, “have you ever been convicted of a felony," Johnson said.
Johnson now works to help other survivors as a national legal advocate for the nonprofit, Her Song, part of the Tim Tebow Foundation.
Brent Woody of the Justice Restoration Center in Pinellas County is the attorney who helped her.
“This bill would change the statue in a way that would make it a statutory requirement that the clerks seal the petition to expunge while its being considered by the court,” Woody said.
The bill would also create a statewide human trafficking data repository and tip lab at USF-St Pete. That lab is up and running, but it can’t collect data without the passage of this bill.
If the bill doesn’t pass, Toledo says she’ll continue efforts to protect survivors, “Ultimately what we want to do is send a strong message. That in Florida we will not tolerate human trafficking.”
Johnson says she will continue to fight for survivors too. Her message for those still struggling is: “I know it seems dark and it feels like this is where you will be for the rest of your life, but there’s hope, there’s help, and all you have to do is reach out.”
If the bill becomes law, it will take effect immediately.