Jacksonville officials and community partners will announce a new initiative to help combat human trafficking on Thursday at 11 a.m.

A monthslong joint investigation between federal, state, and local law enforcement into suspected sex trafficking in Southeast Georgia has resulted in the arrest of more than a dozen people who now face state charges, with many more facing federal charges.

Courtney White, a representative of the NYAP/Chance Program, received the Positively JAX award for January 2025 for outstanding work in specialized foster care and support for youth survivors of human trafficking.

Attorney General Ashley Moody this week unveiled two new initiatives to provide tools and incentives to Floridians in the fight to stop human trafficking.

Southwest Airlines unveiled a new exhibition at Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) Friday morning showcasing leather-crafted items created by survivors of human trafficking.

Human sex trafficking is not just a crime in Third World Countries. A common misconception is that it doesn’t happen where you live. But experts say that just isn’t true. It’s a problem that’s happening in communities across the country and it’s a problem that’s hidden in plain sight.

The State Attorneys Office says Zakariya Clarke, 29, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for attempted murder and human trafficking. Clarke was accused of pimping multiple young women into prostitution, getting them addicted to drugs.

In 2022 there were 2,300 child exploitation and human trafficking cases across Northeast Florida. Now, law enforcement officials from five local counties, FDLE, the Department of Homeland Security and the Tim Tebow Foundation are partnering together to put a stop to it.

Human trafficking can happen anywhere and to anyone — that was the message Tuesday morning from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the State Attorney’s Office for the Fourth Judicial Circuit and the FBI during a news conference in recognition of National Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

A 29-year-old jail inmate in Clay County was served a warrant Wednesday for attempted murder and human trafficking charges out of Duval County. Zakariya Clarke has been in jail in Clay County since his arrest in December 2020 for possession of a weapon, burglary and attempted murder.

The FBI Jacksonville Division announced Monday that it has identified and located at least seven potential human trafficking victims, including one adolescent. It’s part of a nationwide effort called “Operation Cross Country”.

Multi agency work is getting human traffickers off the streets and highways.

A six-day undercover human trafficking operation in Polk County led to more than one hundred arrests.

Police with the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation announced on Wednesday the arrests of two women and a man who are accused of trafficking at least three teens for sex acts at several hotels in Orlando.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Former Jaguars kicker Mike Hollis has coached some girls kickers in the past, but he’s never put on a kicking camp exclusively for girls and women. Saturday and Sunday, he’ll do just that with a camp that will raise money for the Demp Project to fight sex trafficking in the Jacksonville area. Hollis kicked for the Jaguars from 1995-2001, then finished his career with one season in Buffalo. The event will serve as a fundraiser for the Demp Project, a Jacksonville-based church-based non-profit that fights sex trafficking. They go into strip clubs and adult entertainment establishments to help rescue girls and women who have been forced into the sex trade.

The details are disturbing and these are just a few allegations of sex trade from open cases in Jacksonville. It’s actually creating more damage.”Tara Madison is a sex trafficking survivor who now works to prevent future cases. “A large number of the sex trafficking victims that we have been working over the last 10 years, unfortunately, they are deceased,” Goodman said. If you are a human trafficking victim or have information about a potential trafficking situation, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) at 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733. ResourcesFBI Human Trafficking Task Force: https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/violent-crime/human-traffickingRecognizing the signs of human trafficking: https://humantraffickinghotline.org/human-trafficking/recognizing-signs

Raymond James Stadium, the site of NFL football Super Bowl LV, is shown Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)As Tampa gears up for one of the most unusual Super Bowls in history, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody warns human trafficking is as big of a concern as ever. Pandemic or not, Moody said, weekends with big events like the Super Bowl generate a lot of that money for those kinds of businesses. According to Moody’s office, during the 2020 Super Bowl in Miami, there were 47 arrests for human trafficking-related charges. AdMoody’s office teamed up with Uber, Airbnb and the Florida Beer Wholesalers Association to get their workers to recognize the signs of human trafficking.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – An investigation into human trafficking over the past two years has led to the arrests of nearly 200 people on criminal charges ranging from solicitation of prostitution to human trafficking of a minor, the Tallahassee Police Department announced Tuesday. Authorities said human trafficking of minors involves children being manipulated or exploited into some type of work or sexual acts. In 2019,1,887 victims, 427 traffickers and 243 trafficking businesses were identified in Florida by the National Human Trafficking Hotline. Today, the Tallahassee Police Department is concluding a large-scale human trafficking investigation. Posted by City of Tallahassee Police Department on Tuesday, November 17, 2020Ways to recognize human trafficking victims:- They appear to be underfed.