Florida got only 45 of 120 child sex-trafficking victims into the safe homes they needed
OPPAGA, the Florida Legislature's research office, reported in June 2026 (Report 26-03) that the Department of Children and Families verified 434 child victims of commercial sexual exploitation in 2025, the most since OPPAGA began reporting. In fiscal 2024-25, 120 victims were recommended for a safe house or safe foster home and 45 were placed in one; the other 75 were not, for reasons including refusals, runaways and no available beds. As of March 2026 the state had 35 safe foster homes and 5 safe houses, and the Northwest region had none. A 2025 law requires DCF to keep individual-level data on every child assessed for these placements, but OPPAGA found DCF's manual spreadsheet lacks required elements, including whether a placement was unavailable and in which county.
"Most CSE victims recommended for a safe house or safe foster home in Fiscal Year 2024-25 were not placed in these settings," the report found.
Of these, 120 victims were recommended for a safe house or safe foster home and 45 were placed... The spreadsheet does not include all statutorily required data.
In 2025, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) verified 434 children as CSE victims, the largest number in one year since OPPAGA began reporting verified victims.
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