A Resolution By The Board Of County Commissioners Of Pasco County, Florida, Declaring The Month Of January As National Slavery And Human Trafficking Prevention Month And January 11, 2025, As National Human Trafficking Day In Pasco County

40:23Get into all of them. Get this. we have another resolution. R S two.

40:32Um if you are here for um Human Trafficking Prevention Month, please step to the podium.

40:41Okay.

40:54I'll go ahead and read the resolution. Resolution number twenty-five-zero nine four resolution by the Board of County Commissioners of Pasco County, Florida, declaring the month of January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. on January eleventh, twenty twenty five, as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day in Pasco County. Whereas human trafficking is a crime against a person whereby through exploitation an individual is compelled to work or engage in a commercial s in a commercial sex

41:24act through force, fraud or coercion, thereby being stripped of their rights and humanity. Traffickers typically use multiple means to control their victims, including beatings, rape, isolation, forced drug alcohol dependency, withholding of documentation, and physiological and emotional abuse. And Raz, the International Labour Organization conservatively estimates that there are over forty nine point six million victims of human trafficking worldwide and that

41:54this crime is second only to the illegal drug trade in terms of the speed of its growth and the profits that it generates as human beings are being sold repeatedly. NRAS Human Trafficking has been reported in all 50 states. Florida consistently ranks third in the nation in both the number of calls made to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, NHTH, and the number of cases identified. In Florida, in 2023, there were 680

42:25identified cases of trafficking involving one.

42:34and RAS human trafficking is occurring in Pasco County. Through the Camp Pasco County Commission on Human Trafficking, our community has united to combat its horrific crime. And restore dignity to survivors by bringing together the sectors deemed critical to effectively combat human trafficking, such as law enforcement, schools, child welfare, nonprofits, businesses, faith-based organizations, survivors, and more. ANRAS, despite these dedicated local efforts,

43:04more awareness, education, and advocacy are needed to eradicate. Every resident of Pasco County is called upon to declare the exploitation of people for profit has no place in our world and that we need to work together to restore freedom, dignity, and justice to all. And RAS January is annually declared as National Slavery Human Trafficking Prevention Month. on and January eleventh as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Now, therefore, be it resolved by

43:34the Board of County Commissioners of Pasco County, Florida, that said board hereby declares January 2025 as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month in Pasco County, Florida, and that all citizens are encouraged to participate in education awareness, advocacy, and prevention efforts to combat human trafficking. Done and resolved in regular session with Corum present and voting this 14th day of. January twenty twenty five.

43:59Take a motion.

44:01More

44:01approvals

44:02are

44:02second. All in in favor?

44:06Welcome. And um Commissioner Yeager, this is yours.

44:10So I am pleased to sponsor this resolution recognizing national slavery and human trafficking prevention month. This important initiative serves to raise awareness, educate the public, and empower individuals, families, and our community to take a stand against these horrific crimes. Together we can strengthen our collective efforts to prevent human trafficking and support survivors on their path to healing. And I just want to add that this group is absolutely amazing. The work you are doing in our county and all over to spread awareness

44:40is is truly admirable and I've enjoyed my time with you guys and it's just they're just amazing. They're they're great. So thank you.

44:52Um go ahead. Address the the county.

44:55Um well first of all good morning. Uh my name is Laura Henderson and I am a lived experience expert and survivor of human trafficking. I'm also the Vice Chair and Survivor Representative. for the Pasco County Commission on Human Trafficking. It is my pleasure and honor to stand in front of you this morning On behalf of the commission to say thank you. and express our sincerest gratitude For recognizing that January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month in Pasco County. I

45:26would also like to thank e each of you for your continued support of the Commission. Last year marked the tenth year since this commission was formed. and our very existence would not be able to thrive or succeed without its dedicated members and your unwavering support. As we continue our efforts of spreading awareness, continued education, and stronger prevention, it is imperative that we continue listening to survivors being survivor led. and being survivor informed. The

45:56survivor's voice is the most important one, but we, including myself, cannot stand alone and push forward in this fight without everyone taking a stand and doing their part. Thank you again so much for your ongoing support of the Commission's work. It is very much appreciated and valued. We could not do any of this without you.

46:18Thank you so much. Um

46:21Liana? Rich, do you have anything you want to say?

46:26Good morning. I'm Liana Dean. I'm the chair of the commission, and we wanted Laura to have the floor today just as our survivor representative, just to bring focus to survivors. Everything that we do is geared towards helping them to thrive and to grow after they leave the life and to support their efforts to lead this movement. So we thought it was absolutely critical that you all hear from Laura the value that. She has brought to this commission her input on every initiative that we undertake. When she talks about being survivor-led and survivor-informed,

46:57we live that. We rely on her for her guidance and her expertise so that we're delivering an appropriate message to the populations that we're trying to reach. So thank you very much for allowing her the opportunity. From me, thank you again for all of your support over this last decade, it's really been invaluable.

47:15Commissioner Oakley?

47:17I thank each and every one of you for the work you've done, you've been there it seems like forever 'cause you've been on that board running that board. How long has the board been in existence? Ten years. Ten years. long time. I was on there for my first four years and uh I continue to give my support to that board 'cause They not only are doing a great job here in the county, but they actually have uh made a difference throughout the nation and have recognized for

47:47a lot of things that they've done and uh speakers that you've sent off and Alan done the work he's done in the past too. So Very well done and certainly appreciate you and support you. So thank you.

48:02Commissioner Mariano.

48:03Yeah, I'd like to thank you all ladies for all the great work you're doing. Um It is so critical. It's it's such a big issue that's out there. So every every bit you're doing is great and uh I give a little shout out to Kelly that great you ran a great golf turn over at Lake Juita last month. It was phenomenal. So hopefully we get everybody there for next year 'cause it was it was great. So keep up keep up all your great work, as you will. Thank you.

48:25Um well I want to thank you for being such a inspiring leader. Uh and this is such an important group. And it just pains me to hear that we still have sex trafficking going on in our county. With all the awareness we've tried to bring um to this issue. that it still goes on here. Um It's upsetting. Uh I wanted to let you know I don't know all the details but I know at AMP Skills, which is our manufacturing training program that we s we help support here at the county, They've

48:55started um A uh Well there there are a group of survivors who are starting businesses. Um and Amskills is helping them get started and they're they're making things and and selling them. So um I'll have Tom one day come talk to us more about what they're doing. But I'd love for you to get in touch with him. Um I've seen some of the the um products that they've made so I think they come in once a week. So it's pretty cool. Um all right, Lisa, you wanna give your?

49:26They're I know they're they're down on the end. Okay. Um we have room for everybody, I think. Let's go down.

49:32Right here. She'll get it

49:33too.

50:20wear it.

50:28All right, and

50:51Okay, let's see where we are.

50:55Oh I've covered my script.