Florida Senate - 2015 CS for SB 534
By the Committee on Criminal Justice; and Senator Latvala
591-02747-15 2015534c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to human trafficking; creating s.
3 787.08, F.S.; requiring the Department of
4 Transportation and certain employers to display human
5 trafficking public awareness signs at specified
6 locations; providing civil penalties for violations;
7 requiring the Attorney General, in consultation with
8 certain others, to develop specifications for the form
9 and content of such signs; providing sign
10 requirements; providing that the Attorney General is
11 responsible for enforcement; requiring rulemaking;
12 providing an effective date.
13
14 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
15
16 Section 1. Section 787.08, Florida Statutes, is created to
17 read:
18 787.08 Human trafficking public awareness signs.—
19 (1) The Department of Transportation shall display a public
20 awareness sign developed under subsection (3) in every rest area
21 and welcome center in the state that is open to the public.
22 (2)(a) The employer at each of the following establishments
23 shall display a public awareness sign developed under subsection
24 (3) near the public entrance of the establishment or in another
25 conspicuous location that is clearly visible to both the public
26 and employees of the establishment:
27 1. A strip club or other adult entertainment establishment.
28 2. An establishment found to be a nuisance for prostitution
29 under s. 893.138.
30 3. A primary airport.
31 4. A passenger or light rail station.
32 5. A bus station.
33 6. A truck stop. For purposes of this subparagraph, the
34 term “truck stop” means a privately owned and operated facility
35 that provides food, fuel, shower or other sanitary facilities,
36 and lawful overnight truck parking.
37 7. An emergency room within a general acute care hospital.
38 8. An urgent care center.
39 9. The premises of a farm labor contractor where farm
40 laborers are regularly present.
41 10. A privately operated job recruitment center.
42 11. A business or establishment that offers massage or
43 bodywork services for compensation that is not owned by a health
44 care profession regulated pursuant to chapter 456 and defined in
45 s. 456.001.
46 12. A public K-12 school as described in s. 1000.04.
47 13. A public library.
48 14. A health department and a health clinic.
49 (b) The Attorney General shall impose a civil penalty of
50 $500 for a first offense and $1,000 for a second or subsequent
51 offense for an employer who knowingly fails to comply with
52 paragraph (a). The civil penalty is the exclusive remedy for
53 failure to comply with this section.
54 (3)(a) The Attorney General shall, in consultation with
55 anti-trafficking organizations and human trafficking survivors,
56 develop specifications for the form and content of signs
57 required by this section.
58 (b) The required public notice must be at least 8.5 inches
59 by 11 inches in size, must be printed in at least a 16-point
60 type, and must state substantially the following in English,
61 Spanish, or any other language required by the Attorney General:
62 “If you or someone you know is being forced to engage in an
63 activity and cannot leave—whether it is commercial sex,
64 housework, farm work, factory work, retail work, restaurant
65 work, or any other activity—call the National Human Trafficking
66 Resource Center at [insert number] or text INFO or HELP to
67 [insert number] to access help and services. Victims of slavery
68 and human trafficking are protected under United States and
69 Florida law.”
70 (4) The Attorney General is responsible for enforcement of
71 this section and shall adopt rules to implement this section.
72 Section 2. This act shall take effect January 1, 2016.