In just a few months, the streets of Miami-Dade will take center stage for the Formula 1 racing world in the Miami Grand Prix.
But local leaders say major tourist events of this size can be attractive to criminals looking to cash in on human trafficking.
“We are here to announce that our community, the Miami-Dade community, will not sit by and passively let such crimes happen,” said State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle.
“It is the very worst of our society,” said commissioner, Jose "Pepe" Diaz. “Unfortunately, in an event that is the very best of our society, this is where [human trafficking] thrives.”
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Standing together shoulder to shoulder at the State Attorney's Office, Rundle, Diaz, and a host of local leaders on Tuesday announced a public awareness campaign to take place in the coming months leading up to the event.
The team says a similar effort took place in the months leading to the Super Bowl.
Miami-Dade Police Director George Perez, says the department conducted 145 human trafficking investigations in 2021, resulting in 13 arrests.
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“Ninety-six of those investigations involved juveniles,” said Perez. “The most precious resource of this community.”
The team of leaders revealed billboards and digital displays that will be posted around the county, featuring the local human trafficking hotline.
The hotline is 305-FIX-STOP (305-349-7869).
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