Regulatory Alert: Human Trafficking Awareness Requirements & Enforcement
In 2019, language was added to Florida law to increase human trafficking awareness by imposing various requirements on public lodging establishments, which includes apartment communities. These requirements include annual human trafficking awareness training for specific staff, signage, and more.
During the 2023 legislative session, Florida law was amended to increase fines for noncompliance with Florida's human trafficking awareness requirements to $2,000 per day. The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) recently issued an industry bulletin outlining the enforcement changes below.
Effective July 1, 2023:
- A public lodging establishment found to be in violation of a human trafficking awareness requirement for the first time will only be afforded 45 days to correct the violation. Previously, 90 days was afforded and administrative fines would not be assessed if the violation was corrected within the 90 days.
- A public lodging establishment found to be in violation of a human trafficking awareness requirement for the second or subsequent time will be assessed the applicable administrative fines as the establishment will no longer be afforded an opportunity to correct the violation. Previously, 90 days was afforded and administrative fines would not be assessed if the violation was corrected within the 90 days.
Are you in compliance?
FAA members are encouraged to review DBPR's website, Florida law, and consult legal counsel for guidance regarding company policies and procedures.
In an effort to help FAA members meet the training requirements under Florida law, FAA worked with the Florida Alliance to End Human Trafficking on a webinar-based training to assist members with compliance (Click the link below to access this free FAA members-only webinar). This webinar uses a DBPR-approved training curriculum provided by the Florida Alliance to End Human Trafficking.
FAA's members-only training is also available in English and with Spanish subtitles. Click the button below to view both webinar recordings. Please note you will need to be logged in to faahq.org as a member to access the webinar recordings.