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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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An act relating to human trafficking; amending s. 2
16.617, F.S.; providing the Statewide Council on Human 3
Trafficking with an additional duty; amending s. 4
16.618, F.S.; deleting an obsolete provision; 5
requiring the direct -support organization of the 6
Statewide Council on Human Trafficking to develop 7
certain training for firesafety inspectors; providing 8
that such training is eligible for continuing 9
education credits; amending s. 409.175, F.S.; 10
requiring foster parents and agency staff to complete 11
preservice and inservice training related to human 12
trafficking; reenacting s. 63.092(3)(e), F.S., 13
relating to reports to the court of intended placement 14
by an adoption entity, to incorporate the amendment 15
made to s. 409.175, F.S., in a reference thereto; 16
providing an effective date. 17
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 19
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Section 1. Present paragraphs (b) through (e) of 21
subsection (4) of sect ion 16.617, Florida Statutes, are 22
redesignated as paragraphs (c) through (f), respectively, and a 23
new paragraph (b) is added to that subsection, to read: 24
16.617 Statewide Council on Human Trafficking; creation; 25
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membership; duties.— 26
(4) DUTIES.—The council shall: 27
(b) Assess the frequency and extent to which social media 28
platforms are used to assist, facilitate, or support human 29
trafficking within this state, establish a process to detect 30
such use on a consistent basis, and make recommendations on how 31
to stop, reduce, or prevent social media platforms from being 32
used for such purposes. 33
Section 2. Paragraph (b) of subsection (4) of section 34
16.618, Florida Statutes, is amended, and paragraph (f) is added 35
to that subsection, to read: 36
16.618 Direct-support organization.— 37
(4) 38
(b) Recognizing that this state hosts large -scale events, 39
including sporting events, concerts, and cultural events, which 40
generate significant tourism to this state, produce significant 41
economic revenue, and often are conduits fo r human trafficking, 42
the institute must develop training that is available ready for 43
statewide dissemination by not later than October 1, 2019 . 44
1. Training must focus on detecting human trafficking, 45
best practices for reporting human trafficking, and the 46
interventions and treatment for survivors of human trafficking. 47
2. In developing the training, the institute shall consult 48
with law enforcement agencies, survivors of human trafficking, 49
industry representatives, tourism representatives, and other 50
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interested parties. The institute also must conduct research to 51
determine the reduction in recidivism attributable to the 52
education of the harms of human trafficking for first -time 53
offenders. 54
(f) The direct-support organization shall develop training 55
for firesafety inspectors in the recognition and reporting of 56
human trafficking. Such training is eligible for continuing 57
education credit under s. 633.216(4). 58
Section 3. Paragraph (e) is added to subsection (14) of 59
section 409.175, Florida Statutes, to read: 60
409.175 Licensure of family foster homes, residential 61
child-caring agencies, and child -placing agencies; public 62
records exemption.— 63
(14) 64
(e)1. In addition to any other preservice training 65
required by law, foster parents, as a condition of licensure, 66
and agency staff must successfully complete preservice training 67
related to human trafficking which must be uniform statewide and 68
must include, but need not be limited to: 69
a. Basic information on human trafficking, such as an 70
understanding of relevant termi nology, and the differences 71
between sex trafficking and labor trafficking; 72
b. Factors and knowledge on identifying children at risk 73
of human trafficking; and 74
c. Steps that should be taken to prevent at -risk youths 75
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from becoming victims of human traffic king. 76
2. Foster parents, before licensure renewal, and agency 77
staff, during each full year of employment, must complete 78
inservice training related to human trafficking to satisfy the 79
training requirement under subparagraph (5)(b)7. 80
Section 4. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment 81
made by this act to section 409.175, Florida Statutes, in a 82
reference thereto, paragraph (e) of subsection (3) of section 83
63.092, Florida Statutes, is reenacted to read: 84
63.092 Report to the court of intended place ment by an 85
adoption entity; at-risk placement; preliminary study. — 86
(3) PRELIMINARY HOME STUDY. —Before placing the minor in 87
the intended adoptive home, a preliminary home study must be 88
performed by a licensed child -placing agency, a child -caring 89
agency registered under s. 409.176, a licensed professional, or 90
an agency described in s. 61.20(2), unless the adoptee is an 91
adult or the petitioner is a stepparent or a relative. If the 92
adoptee is an adult or the petitioner is a stepparent or a 93
relative, a preliminary home study may be required by the court 94
for good cause shown. The department is required to perform the 95
preliminary home study only if there is no licensed child -96
placing agency, child -caring agency registered under s. 409.176, 97
licensed professional, o r agency described in s. 61.20(2), in 98
the county where the prospective adoptive parents reside. The 99
preliminary home study must be made to determine the suitability 100
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of the intended adoptive parents and may be completed before 101
identification of a prospectiv e adoptive minor. If the 102
identified prospective adoptive minor is in the custody of the 103
department, a preliminary home study must be completed within 30 104
days after it is initiated. A favorable preliminary home study 105
is valid for 1 year after the date of it s completion. Upon its 106
completion, a signed copy of the home study must be provided to 107
the intended adoptive parents who were the subject of the home 108
study. A minor may not be placed in an intended adoptive home 109
before a favorable preliminary home study is completed unless 110
the adoptive home is also a licensed foster home under s. 111
409.175. The preliminary home study must include, at a minimum: 112
(e) Documentation of counseling and education of the 113
intended adoptive parents on adoptive parenting, as determine d 114
by the entity conducting the preliminary home study. The 115
training specified in s. 409.175(14) shall only be required for 116
persons who adopt children from the department. 117
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If the preliminary home study is favorable, a minor may be 119
placed in the home pendin g entry of the judgment of adoption. A 120
minor may not be placed in the home if the preliminary home 121
study is unfavorable. If the preliminary home study is 122
unfavorable, the adoption entity may, within 20 days after 123
receipt of a copy of the written recommenda tion, petition the 124
court to determine the suitability of the intended adoptive 125
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home. A determination as to suitability under this subsection 126
does not act as a presumption of suitability at the final 127
hearing. In determining the suitability of the intended a doptive 128
home, the court must consider the totality of the circumstances 129
in the home. A minor may not be placed in a home in which there 130
resides any person determined by the court to be a sexual 131
predator as defined in s. 775.21 or to have been convicted of an 132
offense listed in s. 63.089(4)(b)2. 133
Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022. 134