Trafficking means compelling someone into labour or commercial sex through force, fraud or coercion. For a minor in a commercial sex act, no proof of force is required — age is enough under the law.
It does not require movement. Most victims are exploited close to home, often by someone they know, which is why the image of people being smuggled across borders makes it harder to recognise, not easier. This page is a plain-language guide. Cases, licences and eligibility decisions are handled by the State of Florida through its own official channels.
Control
Someone else speaks for the person, holds their documents, or will not leave them alone with a professional.
Debt
A wage that never clears a growing debt for housing, transport or recruitment fees.
Living and working conditions
Sleeping at the workplace, unexplained injuries, no ability to come and go.
In young people
A much older partner, unexplained money or expensive gifts, repeated running away, or scripted answers about where they have been.
No single indicator proves anything. Several together are worth a report.
Reports involving minors go to the state's protective system; reports involving adults go to law enforcement, with victim services alongside. Specialist placements and services exist for children identified as victims.
The state also certifies safe houses and safe foster homes for trafficking victims — placements assessed against standards written for this population rather than general residential care.
Recognition training is required for a range of professions in Florida, including staff who work with children in care. The aim is unglamorous: more people who notice the ordinary signs, earlier.