CS/CS/CS/HB 1557 2023
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1557-03-c3
Page 1 of 17
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
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to sexual exploitation and human 2
trafficking; amending s. 394.875, F.S.; requiring 3
residential treatment centers for children and 4
adolescents to place specified signage; requiring the 5
Department of Children and Families, in consultation 6
with the Agency for Health Care Administration, to 7
adopt rules; creating s. 402.88, F.S.; providing 8
definitions; requiring a committee of the Statewide 9
Council on Human Trafficking to conduct a study; 10
specifying requirements for the study; authorizing 11
rulemaking; providing application and renewal 12
requirements; allowing adult safe houses to provide 13
lists of advocates who are employed or who volunteer 14
at the adult safe house who may claim a privilege 15
under s. 90.5037; requiring the department to inspect 16
adult safe houses before certification and annually 17
thereafter; authorizing the department to take certain 18
actions for noncompliance; requiring the department to 19
establish a process to certify adult safe houses that 20
provide housing and care to adult survivors of human 21
trafficking; providing certification requirements; 22
authorizing rulemaking; requiring the department to 23
ensure that the staff of each adult safe house 24
completes specified intensive training; authorizing 25
CS/CS/CS/HB 1557 2023
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1557-03-c3
Page 2 of 17
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
the department to take certain actions for 26
noncompliance; amending s. 509.096, F.S.; reducing the 27
time to correct a violation; requiring the Department 28
of Business and Professional Regulation to impose a 29
penalty for subsequent violations by public lodging 30
establishments; amending s. 409.1678, F.S.; providing 31
requirements for safe houses and safe foster homes; 32
requiring the department to develop or approve certain 33
educational programming on commercial sexual 34
exploitation; amending s. 409.175, F.S.; requiring 35
specified signage to be placed on the premises of 36
facilities maintained by licensed child -caring 37
agencies; requiring the department to adopt rules; 38
amending s. 787.29, F.S.; making technical changes; 39
providing appropriations; providing an effective date. 40
41
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 42
43
Section 1. Subsection (8) of section 394.875, Florida 44
Statutes, is amended to read: 45
394.875 Crisis stabilization units, residential treatmen t 46
facilities, and residential treatment centers for children and 47
adolescents; authorized services; license required. — 48
(8)(a) The department, in consultation with the agency, 49
must adopt rules governing a residential treatment center for 50
CS/CS/CS/HB 1557 2023
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1557-03-c3
Page 3 of 17
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
children and adolescents which specify licensure standards for: 51
admission; length of stay; program and staffing; discharge and 52
discharge planning; treatment planning; seclusion, restraints, 53
and time-out; rights of patients under s. 394.459; use of 54
psychotropic medications; and standards for the operation of 55
such centers. 56
(b) Residential treatment centers for children and 57
adolescents must conspicuously place signs on their premises to 58
warn children and adolescents of the dangers of human 59
trafficking and to encourage the rep orting of individuals 60
observed attempting to engage in human trafficking activity. The 61
signs must contain the telephone number for the National Human 62
Trafficking Hotline or such other number that the Department of 63
Law Enforcement uses to detect and stop hu man trafficking. The 64
department, in consultation with the agency, shall specify, at a 65
minimum, the content of the signs by rule. 66
Section 2. Section 402.88, Florida Statutes, is created to 67
read: 68
402.88 Adult safe houses. — 69
(1) As used in this section , the term: 70
(a) "Adult safe house" means a group residential facility 71
that provides housing and care specifically for adult survivors 72
of human trafficking. 73
(b) "Adult survivor of human trafficking" or "survivor" 74
means an individual who has reached the age of 18 and who has 75
CS/CS/CS/HB 1557 2023
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1557-03-c3
Page 4 of 17
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
been subjected to human trafficking as defined in s. 787.06. 76
(2)(a) The Services and Resources Committee of the 77
Statewide Council on Human Trafficking established under s. 78
16.617 shall conduct a study and make recommendations regardi ng 79
the regulation of adult safe houses, as provided in this 80
subsection. 81
1. The Department of Children and Families shall provide 82
administrative and staff support to the committee in meeting the 83
requirements of this subsection. 84
2. The committee shall su bmit an interim report regarding 85
its activities and findings by October 1, 2023, to the Governor, 86
the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of 87
Representatives. The committee shall submit a final report 88
addressing all requirements of this su bsection by December 31, 89
2023, to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the 90
Speaker of the House of Representatives. 91
(b) The committee shall survey operators of existing adult 92
safe houses in the state to determine the following information 93
regarding their operation. The information may be obtained and 94
presented on a categorical or high -level basis, as appropriate. 95
1. The number of adult safe houses in the state and the 96
regions of the state in which such safe houses are located. 97
2. The number of beds in adult safe houses and number of 98
survivors served per year. 99
3. The policies and criteria regarding which adult 100
CS/CS/CS/HB 1557 2023
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1557-03-c3
Page 5 of 17
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
survivors of human trafficking may be served and the processes 101
for intake and discharge, including how referrals are received. 102
4. The amount of revenues supporting adult safe house 103
operation and the sources of such funds, including, but not 104
limited to, the amount of state and federal funds received and 105
the specific source of such state and federal funds. 106
5. Services and support s provided to adult survivors of 107
human trafficking directly by the adult safe house and services 108
to which survivors are referred, including while survivors are 109
residing in the adult safe house and after survivors transition 110
out of the adult safe house. 111
6. Training requirements for staff and volunteers. 112
7. The nature of and mechanisms for coordination with law 113
enforcement. 114
8. Whether the adult safe houses allow children of adult 115
survivors of human trafficking to also reside in the houses and, 116
if so, policies regarding children residing in the house and 117
services directly provided to the children or to which the 118
children may be referred. 119
9. Policies of adult safe houses that ensure that adult 120
survivors of human trafficking are served in a respectful and 121
trauma-informed manner. 122
10. Challenges faced by adult safe houses in providing a 123
safe and therapeutic environment that is trauma -informed and in 124
providing services to survivors and their children. 125
CS/CS/CS/HB 1557 2023
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1557-03-c3
Page 6 of 17
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
11. Any accreditations held by adult safe houses, exte rnal 126
standards promulgated by outside bodies that houses meet, or 127
other industry certifications held by adult safe houses. 128
12. Identification of ineffective or problematic practices 129
in existing adult safe houses in the state and recommendations 130
regarding minimum standards for regulation. 131
(c) As part of the study, the committee shall also: 132
1. Identify and review standards recommended by national 133
organizations or experts specializing in adult safe house 134
service provision or shelter or housing for adul t survivors of 135
human trafficking. 136
2. Obtain recommendations from adult survivors of human 137
trafficking and law enforcement agencies regarding regulation of 138
adult safe houses. 139
(d) The committee shall develop recommendations for 140
regulation of adult safe h ouses in the state based on, at least, 141
the information obtained by the committee under this section. 142
(3) After December 31, 2023, the department shall initiate 143
rulemaking and adopt rules establishing minimum standards for 144
certification of adult safe hous es to ensure that such safe 145
houses provide a safe and therapeutic environment and operate in 146
a survivor-centered and trauma-informed manner. After rules are 147
adopted to certify adult safe houses, only adult safe houses 148
certified by the department may provid e group residential 149
housing and care specifically for adult survivors of human 150
CS/CS/CS/HB 1557 2023
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1557-03-c3
Page 7 of 17
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
trafficking. Adult safe houses in operation as of the date that 151
rules initially adopted under this section become effective 152
shall have 6 months after such date to become certifi ed. 153
(a) The department shall adopt rules for the operation of 154
adult safe houses, including standards for, at a minimum, the 155
following: 156
1. Safe and therapeutic environments to receive and house 157
adult survivors of human trafficking. 158
2. Appropriate security. 159
3. Coordination with local law enforcement agencies. 160
4. Safe and appropriate sheltering of minor children and 161
other dependents of an adult survivor of human trafficking. 162
5. Operations based on trauma -informed and survivor -163
centered principles. 164
6. Trauma-informed, survivor-centered services that must 165
be provided, and other services that may be provided or to which 166
adult survivors of human trafficking may be referred. 167
7. Appropriate training, background screening, and 168
compliance with policie s and procedures, by owners, directors, 169
board members, personnel, and volunteers of the adult safe 170
house, as applicable. 171
(b) The department shall require complete applications for 172
certification and for recertification, which must be renewed 173
every 2 years, using forms furnished by the department, and 174
provide all required information. 175
CS/CS/CS/HB 1557 2023
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1557-03-c3
Page 8 of 17
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
(c) The department shall inspect adult safe houses before 176
certification and at least annually thereafter to ensure 177
compliance with the requirements of this section. 178
(d) An adult safe house may provide to the department a 179
list of the names of the human trafficking advocates who are 180
employed or who volunteer at the adult safe house who may claim 181
a privilege under s. 90.5037 to refuse to disclose a 182
confidential communication between a victim of human trafficking 183
and the advocate regarding the human trafficking inflicted upon 184
the adult survivor of human trafficking. If a list is filed, the 185
list must include the title of the position held by the advocate 186
whose name is listed an d a description of the duties of that 187
position. An adult safe house shall file amendments to this list 188
as necessary. 189
(e) If the department finds failure by an adult safe house 190
to comply with the requirements established in or rules adopted 191
under this section, the department may subject the adult safe 192
house to disciplinary action, including, but not limited to, 193
requiring a corrective action plan, imposing administrative 194
fines, or denying, suspending, or revoking the certification of 195
the adult safe house . 196
Section 3. Subsection (3) of section 509.096, Florida 197
Statutes, is amended to read: 198
509.096 Human trafficking awareness training and policies 199
for employees of public lodging establishments; enforcement. — 200
CS/CS/CS/HB 1557 2023
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1557-03-c3
Page 9 of 17
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
(3) For a violation committed on or after July 1, 2023, 201
the division shall impose an administrative fine of $2,000 per 202
day on a public lodging establishment that is not in compliance 203
with this section and remit the fines to the direct -support 204
organization established under s. 16.618, unless the di vision 205
receives adequate written documentation from the public lodging 206
establishment which provides assurance that each deficiency will 207
be corrected within 4590 days after the division provided the 208
public lodging establishment with notice of its violation. For a 209
second or subsequent violation of the section committed on or 210
after July 1, 2023, the division may not provide a correction 211
period to a public lodging establishment and must impose the 212
applicable administrative fines. 213
Section 4. Paragraphs (c) a nd (d) of subsection (2) and 214
paragraph (a) of subsection (3) of section 409.1678, Florida 215
Statutes, are amended to read: 216
409.1678 Specialized residential options for children who 217
are victims of commercial sexual exploitation. — 218
(2) CERTIFICATION OF SAFE HOUSES AND SAFE FOSTER HOMES. — 219
(c) To be certified, a safe house must hold a license as a 220
residential child-caring agency, as defined in s. 409.175, and a 221
safe foster home must hold a license as a family foster home, as 222
defined in s. 409.175. A safe hou se or safe foster home must 223
also: 224
1. Use strength-based and trauma-informed approaches to 225
CS/CS/CS/HB 1557 2023
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1557-03-c3
Page 10 of 17
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
care, to the extent possible and appropriate. 226
2. Serve exclusively one sex. 227
3. Group child victims of commercial sexual exploitation 228
by age or maturity level. 229
4. Care for child victims of commercial sexual 230
exploitation in a manner that separates those children from 231
children with other needs. Safe houses and safe foster homes may 232
care for other populations if the children who have not 233
experienced commercial sexu al exploitation do not interact with 234
children who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation. 235
5. Have awake staff members on duty 24 hours a day, if a 236
safe house. 237
6.a. If a safe house or safe foster home, provide 238
appropriate security through facil ity design, hardware, 239
technology, staffing, and siting, including, but not limited to, 240
external video monitoring or door exit alarms, a high staff -to-241
client ratio, or being situated in a remote location that is 242
isolated from major transportation centers an d common 243
trafficking areas. 244
b. If a safe house, provide appropriate security that 245
includes, at a minimum, the detection of possible trafficking 246
activity around the facility, an emergency response to search 247
for absent or missing children, and coordination with law 248
enforcement through either: 249
(I) At least one individual who is an employee or 250
CS/CS/CS/HB 1557 2023
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1557-03-c3
Page 11 of 17
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
contractor of the safe house who has law enforcement, 251
investigative, or other similar training, as established by rule 252
by the department; or 253
(II) A memorandum of understanding or a contract with a 254
law enforcement agency for these functions. 255
7. If a safe house, conspicuously place signs on the 256
premises to warn children of the dangers of human trafficking 257
and to encourage the reporting of individuals observed 258
attempting to engage in human trafficking activity. The signs 259
must advise children to report concerns to the local law 260
enforcement agency or the Department of Law Enforcement, 261
specifying the appropriate telephone numbers used for such 262
reports. The department sh all specify, at a minimum, the content 263
of the signs by rule. 264
8.7. Meet other criteria established by department rule, 265
which may include, but are not limited to, personnel 266
qualifications, staffing ratios, and types of services offered. 267
(d) Safe houses and safe foster homes shall provide 268
services tailored to the needs of child victims of commercial 269
sexual exploitation and shall conduct a comprehensive assessment 270
of the service needs of each resident. In addition to the 271
services required to be provided by residential child caring 272
agencies and family foster homes, safe houses and safe foster 273
homes must provide, arrange for, or coordinate, at a minimum, 274
the following services: 275
CS/CS/CS/HB 1557 2023
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1557-03-c3
Page 12 of 17
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
1. Victim-witness counseling. 276
2. Family counseling. 277
3. Behavioral health c are. 278
4. Treatment and intervention for sexual assault. 279
5. Education tailored to the child's individual needs, 280
including remedial education if necessary. 281
6. Life skills and workforce training. 282
7. Mentoring by a survivor of commercial sexual 283
exploitation, if available and appropriate for the child. 284
8. Substance abuse screening and, when necessary, access 285
to treatment. 286
9. Planning services for the successful transition of each 287
child back to the community. 288
10. Activities structured in a manner that provides child 289
victims of commercial sexual exploitation with a full schedule. 290
11. Age-appropriate programming to educate children 291
regarding the signs and dangers of commercial sexual 292
exploitation and how to report commercial sexual exploitation. 293
The department shall develop or approve such programming. 294
(3) SERVICES WITHIN A RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT CENTER OR 295
HOSPITAL.—Residential treatment centers licensed under s. 296
394.875, and hospitals licensed under chapter 395 that provide 297
residential mental heal th treatment, shall provide specialized 298
treatment for commercially sexually exploited children in the 299
custody of the department who are placed in these facilities 300
CS/CS/CS/HB 1557 2023
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1557-03-c3
Page 13 of 17
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
pursuant to s. 39.407(6), s. 394.4625, or s. 394.467. 301
(a) The specialized treatment must me et the requirements 302
of subparagraphs (2)(c)1., 3., 6., and 8. 7., paragraph (2)(d), 303
and the department's treatment standards adopted pursuant to 304
this section. However, a residential treatment center or 305
hospital may prioritize the delivery of certain servic es among 306
those required under paragraph (2)(d) to meet the specific 307
treatment needs of the child. 308
Section 5. Paragraph (b) of subsection (5) of section 309
409.175, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 310
409.175 Licensure of family foster homes, residenti al 311
child-caring agencies, and child -placing agencies; public 312
records exemption.— 313
(5) The department shall adopt and amend rules for the 314
levels of licensed care associated with the licensure of family 315
foster homes, residential child -caring agencies, and c hild-316
placing agencies. The rules may include criteria to approve 317
waivers to licensing requirements when applying for a child -318
specific license. 319
(b) The requirements for licensure and operation of family 320
foster homes, residential child -caring agencies, and child-321
placing agencies shall include: 322
1. The operation, conduct, and maintenance of these homes 323
and agencies and the responsibility which they assume for 324
children served and the evidence of need for that service. 325
CS/CS/CS/HB 1557 2023
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1557-03-c3
Page 14 of 17
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
2. The provision of food, clothing, ed ucational 326
opportunities, services, equipment, and individual supplies to 327
assure the healthy physical, emotional, and mental development 328
of the children served. 329
3. The appropriateness, safety, cleanliness, and general 330
adequacy of the premises, including f ire prevention and health 331
standards, to provide for the physical comfort, care, and well -332
being of the children served. 333
4. The ratio of staff to children required to provide 334
adequate care and supervision of the children served and, in the 335
case of family foster homes, the maximum number of children in 336
the home. 337
5. The good moral character based upon screening, 338
education, training, and experience requirements for personnel 339
and family foster homes. 340
6. The department may grant exemptions from 341
disqualification from working with children or the 342
developmentally disabled as provided in s. 435.07. 343
7. The provision of preservice and inservice training for 344
all foster parents and agency staff. 345
8. Satisfactory evidence of financial ability to provide 346
care for the children in compliance with licensing requirements. 347
9. The maintenance by the agency of records pertaining to 348
admission, progress, health, and discharge of children served, 349
including written case plans and reports to the department. 350
CS/CS/CS/HB 1557 2023
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1557-03-c3
Page 15 of 17
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
10. The provision for parental involvement to encourage 351
preservation and strengthening of a child's relationship with 352
the family. 353
11. The transportation safety of children served. 354
12. The provisions for safeguarding the cultural, 355
religious, and ethnic values of a child . 356
13. Provisions to safeguard the legal rights of children 357
served. 358
14. Requiring signs to be conspicuously placed on the 359
premises of facilities maintained by child -caring agencies to 360
warn children of the dangers of human trafficking and to 361
encourage the reporting of individuals observed attempting to 362
engage in human trafficking activity. The signs must advise 363
children to report concerns to the local law enforcement agency 364
or the Department of Law Enforcement, specifying the appropriate 365
telephone numbers used for such reports. The department shall 366
specify, at a minimum, the content of the signs by rule. 367
Section 6. Subsections (3) and (5) of section 787.29, 368
Florida Statutes, are amended, and subsection (4) of that 369
section is republished, to read: 370
787.29 Human trafficking public awareness signs. — 371
(3)(a) The employer at each of the following 372
establishments shall display a public awareness sign developed 373
under subsection (4) in a conspicuous location that is clearly 374
visible to the public and employees of the establishment: 375
CS/CS/CS/HB 1557 2023
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1557-03-c3
Page 16 of 17
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
1.(a) A strip club or other adult entertainment 376
establishment. 377
2.(b) A business or establishment that offers massage or 378
bodywork services for compensation that is not owned by a health 379
care practitioner regulated pursuant to chapt er 456 and defined 380
in s. 456.001. 381
(b) The county commission may adopt an ordinance to 382
enforce this subsection. A violation of this subsection is a 383
noncriminal violation and punishable by a fine only as provided 384
in s. 775.083. 385
(4) The required public aw areness sign must be at least 386
8.5 inches by 11 inches in size, must be printed in at least a 387
16-point type, and must state substantially the following in 388
English and Spanish: 389
390
"If you or someone you know is being forced to engage 391
in an activity and cannot leave—whether it is 392
prostitution, housework, farm work, factory work, 393
retail work, restaurant work, or any other activity —394
call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 395
1-888-373-7888 or text INFO or HELP to 233 -733 to 396
access help and services. Vic tims of slavery and human 397
trafficking are protected under United States and 398
Florida law." 399
400
CS/CS/CS/HB 1557 2023
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1557-03-c3
Page 17 of 17
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
(5) The county commission may adopt an ordinance to 401
enforce subsection (3). A violation of subsection (3) is a 402
noncriminal violation and punishable by a fine only as provided 403
in s. 775.083. 404
Section 7. For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the sum of 405
$75,000 in recurring funds from the Administrative Trust Fund 406
within the Department of Children and Families and $388,000 in 407
nonrecurring funds from the Administrative Trus t Fund are 408
appropriated to the Department of Children and Families for 409
technology enhancements to implement this act. 410
Section 8. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023. 411