Bryon Rossi of Epik Project works to disrupt the demand for commercial sexual exploitation. Lisa Chaloux is a trafficking survivor who designed signs for Jacksonville's anti-trafficking campaign. | Michelle Corum, Jacksonville Today
Published on July 30, 2025 at 5:24 pm
Free local news and info, in your inbox at 6 a.m. M-F. Sign up for the Jacksonville Today newsletter.
Jacksonville ranks third in the state — behind Miami and Tampa — in human trafficking cases.
According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, Duval County reported 30 sex trafficking offenses from 2021 to 2024 … and the city of Jacksonville’s 58,000 documented commercial sex ads topped the state.
Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.
The Women’s Center of Jacksonville, which serves sexual assault victims in Duval, Nassau and Baker counties, is working with other nonprofits to create a centralized Safety Network for Survivors.
Jacksonville leaders launched a poster campaign in April to combat human trafficking, beginning with the city’s Sports and Entertainment District. The city will be putting up the posters soon.
Local officials who work against sex trafficking say sporting events and concerts bring a lot of tourism. With that comes a demand for sex, which traffickers are happy to meet by coercing people into the sex trade.
Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.
Trafficking primarily involves compelling people to work or perform sex acts using force, fraud or coercion. Traffickers use violence, manipulation or false promises to lure their victims into trafficking situations. Most victims experience physical and/or psychological abuse.
Teresa Miles with the Women’s Center says deceptive ads on social media, like the ones that promote escort services, lure many unsuspecting victims into being sexually trafficked.
“There are predators who have entire systems with algorithms that track down vulnerabilities, so if someone is indicating that they’re lonely, that they’re scared, that they’re sad, those are the type of things that predators latch onto,” Miles said.
To report suspected human trafficking, call 904-721-7273 (24 hours a day).
