Fort Walton Beach joins Florida’s 100 Percent Club after fully training staff to detect human trafficking

Fort Walton Beach, Florida – The City of Fort Walton Beach has made a big step forward in the fight against human trafficking by becoming a member of Florida’s “100 Percent Club.” This award goes to groups that thoroughly train their employees to spot and report indicators of trafficking. This helps statewide efforts to protect vulnerable people and raise awareness in the community. The success shows that city leaders are serious about their work. They made sure that all city employees underwent approved training and now have access to technologies that assist them spot suspicious activity and act fast when necessary.

The Florida Office of the Attorney General and businesses and agencies that wanted to be part of the 100 Percent Club worked together to make it happen. Members are chosen based on their readiness to give staff the tools and information they need to spot human trafficking quicker and take action. The program turns regular workplaces into knowledgeable networks that can recognize risk before it gets worse by giving personnel precise instructions on warning signals, how to report them, and how to intervene.

Fort Walton Beach has lived up to that anticipation. All city employees have now finished online training that was made just for this purpose. This was the last step needed to join the statewide program. The city has agreed to join Florida’s larger public awareness campaign, which will help get the word out beyond just its own policies and into the community. This is in addition to training its staff. This means that residents, companies, and visitors will all benefit from shared messages, better visibility, and more regular reminders of how to help stop trafficking when they encounter it.

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Lynn Guyton, executive director of the Statewide Council on Human Trafficking, acknowledged the city for its work and praised the personnel for being ready and dedicated.

“Thank you for training your staff to recognize the signs of human trafficking and how to report it,” said Lynn Guyton, executive director of the Statewide Council on Human Trafficking. Together, we are keeping Florida safe, strong, and free.”

Fort Walton Beach’s new place in the 100 Percent Club could encourage other cities to do the same. Training employees turns knowledge into action, giving them the tools they need to make important reports. The city’s decision shows that keeping residents and visitors safe from trafficking is not only a priority, but also a duty for everyone who works for the government.

The Florida Alliance to End Human Trafficking website has further information about statewide anti-trafficking programs. The alliance continues to support efforts to educate people, stop trafficking, and respond to it across Florida.