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Sex-Trade Sting Recovers FL Victims

Eleven children from Florida were among the nearly 170 rescued during a nationwide sex trafficking sting conducted by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies last week. 

According to the Tampa Bay Times, six of the rescued children were rescued in the Tampa Bay area, one in the Orlando area, and one in the Fort Myers area. The FBI office in Miami reported another three children were rescued there.

The FBI arrested 281 people on pimping charges including several in Florida, the Miami Heraldreports. 

Of the recovered children, 126 had been in the custody of parents or guardians, while 41 had been in state custody, the Herald reports.  Many had not been reported missing.

The latest Operation Cross Country took place in 106 cities.  Since the first sting in 2008, nearly 3,600 children have been recovered. Only two states, Florida and Illinois, require child welfare agencies to report missing children to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, according to the Herald

Originally founded in December 2006 as an independent grassroots publication dedicated to coverage of health issues in Florida, Health News Florida was acquired by WUSF Public Media in September 2012.