Indian River Shores council proclaims January Human Trafficking Awareness Month

The Town of Indian River Shores Town Council on Jan. 23 issued a proclamation recognizing January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month in Indian River County, Florida, following remarks from a representative of the Florida Faith Alliance urging community awareness and training.

The proclamation — read into the record and entered by the council — asks town leaders and residents to support local awareness efforts and a planned Florida Faith Alliance "Day of Defense" in Indian River County in 2025. The council proceeded to issue the proclamation during the meeting without a formal roll-call vote on the measure.

At the meeting, a Florida Faith Alliance representative told the council, "We are here today because we are in a crisis for our children," and described the group’s anti‑trafficking work, including classroom prevention videos and training. The representative said the alliance has worked with state lawmakers and that "Florida is number 3 in hotline calls." She said social media has become a recruiting tool, and cited local law enforcement activity: "Over the last year and a half, there have been 14 related arrests for trafficking and child exploitation." The representative also said the alliance plans training that would reach an estimated 70,000 children and 7,000 school employees in 2025.

The speaker noted that "Florida Faith Alliance founder and COO, Lynn Barletta, worked with Florida House Representative Tovi Overdorf to help get HB 3 passed," and said, "as of January 1st, Pornhub ... has pulled out of Florida," comments the representative presented as part of the alliance's broader advocacy work.

Mayor Foley and council members offered brief thanks and moved forward with the proclamation. The council document asks "all county, city, town, business, and social organizations" to take a free one‑hour awareness training the alliance is promoting and to support upcoming local events intended to help parents, students and community members identify and report trafficking.

The council did not take separate formal action beyond issuing the proclamation at the meeting. The representative urged continued cross‑sector cooperation and described planned public events and trainings intended to provide situational self‑defense and online‑safety information for multiple age groups.

The town council’s action places the local proclamation on the public record; the Florida Faith Alliance representative encouraged residents and organizations to participate in training and the planned 2025 Day of Defense."