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Sebastian proclaims January Human Trafficking Awareness Month; city to require state attorney-general training for employees
Summary
At its Jan. 8 meeting the Sebastian City Council issued a proclamation recognizing January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month and the city manager announced a policy to require Florida Attorney General anti‑trafficking training for all city employees, with a goal of qualifying for the AG's "100% club."
Sebastian Mayor Bob McPartland read a proclamation on Jan. 8 recognizing January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month and asked residents to "help illuminate human trafficking by empowering families to recognize the signs, turn in tips, and save lives."
The proclamation noted Florida ranks third in the nation for human‑trafficking hotline calls and cited local arrests in Indian River County. A public speaker identified in the meeting transcript as a commenter described local outreach by the Florida Faith Alliance and urged the council to support awareness and training in city workplaces, closing remarks with the phrase "not on our watch."
City Manager Bob Benton told the council he and Human Resources Director Cindy Watson drafted a city policy that would require every existing and new city employee to complete the anti‑trafficking training provided by the Florida Attorney General. "We have a policy that's been drafted. If you all if I get a consensus from you all that you're okay with us going forward with this, I will sign it, and we will kinda start putting it into action tomorrow," Benton said. He described a goal of completing training for all current employees by the end of January and then applying for the AG's "100% club" acknowledgement.
Council members expressed support for the training and for making awareness materials available more broadly. Benton and other speakers said the training runs about an hour and that the city will share links and certificates with council members once staff begin the rollout. The council also discussed public education and the potential to post awareness videos on the city's website and promote them via social media.
No formal vote was required for the proclamation or the manager's request for consensus to implement the employee training policy. The manager said staff would proceed after receiving council consensus and would publish related information to the city website and social channels.
