Human Trafficking Awareness

Human trafficking is a reality in every state in our nation, and Florida is no exception. The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA) believes we have a moral obligation to do all we can to prevent this atrocious crime and to ensure that the Sunshine State remains a warm and welcoming place for all visitors. In that spirit, the association has committed to educating our members as well as others within the hospitality industry about the dangers of human trafficking. We launched the course in September of 2018 to encourage all hospitality workers to get educated about this crime. Effective January 1, 2022, the course will be offered at $2.99 per user.

Mandated Human Trafficking Awareness Training

In 2019, the Florida Legislature passed and Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law new human trafficking legislation affecting lodging operators. Section 509.096, Florida Statutes, includes mandatory annual human trafficking awareness training for lodging employees who perform housekeeping duties or work at the front desk or reception areas. Prudent lodging operators will also train their other guest interaction positions, including concierge, bell staff, valet, and others. The DBPR Industry Bulletin can be found here.

Compliance Checklist

This is abbreviated guidance for convenience. The governing statute in full can be found here.

Covered lodging properties must implement a procedure to report suspected human trafficking to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or local law enforcement, and they must post prescribed signage in employee areas regarding the Hotline.
Covered employees must complete DBPR-approved training by January 1, 2021, or within 60 days of hire, whichever is later, and annually thereafter.
Provide annual training regarding human trafficking awareness to employees of the establishment who perform housekeeping duties in the rental units or who work at the front desk or reception area where guests ordinarily check in or check out.
Covered lodging properties must keep on a file (electronic or hard copy) the signed and dated acknowledgement of every covered employee that they received the training. These acknowledgements must be made available to DBPR upon inspection. (Note: DBPR fines are $2,000 per day for public lodging establishments not in compliance with Section 509.096, Florida Statutes.)
For FRLA’s DBPR-approved online training in English and Spanish – currently offered at no cost – click here.

Training

FRLA has partnered with subject matter experts to create a low-cost, DBPR-approved online training course designed to help hoteliers, restaurateurs, and their staff:

Recognize the signs of human trafficking
Learn best practices to protect victims and businesses
Promote anti-trafficking awareness

We also offer instructor-led training for a small fee, and FRLA hotel members can request a hotel training kit to lead their own in-house training.

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE ONLINE COURSE, AVAILABLE IN BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH.

Additional Resources

To learn more about what human trafficking and what business owners need to know, please check out this article by Geoff Luebkemann, SVP of Education and Training, in the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Magazine.

Additional resources for human trafficking include the following: