Lealman is a census-designated place of approximately 22,000 residents, located in the suburbs of St. Petersburg in Pinellas County, Florida.  Prostitution activity has been well-documented in the city and surrounding communities, and in unincorporated areas of Pinellas County. This activity and the problems and ancillary crimes it generates (such as drug offenses) results in complaints to law enforcement agencies from residents and businesses. Among the more serious crimes associated with the local commercial sex market is sex trafficking.

Consumer level demand provides the revenue stream for all prostitution and sex trafficking, and has therefore been targeted by local law enforcement agencies as a strategy for prevention and response. The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office has targeted Lealman in a series of high profile sweeps to address mounting crime rates in the area, particularly along Route 19. In these efforts, the PCSO has implemented the use of street-level reverse stings to identify and apprehend sex buyers. Operations typically utilize an undercover female officer as a decoy. When suspects solicit her for sex, they are promptly arrested. If the sex buyer solicited sex from a vehicle, he may have his license suspended. To discourage the men from reoffending, the PCSO may release arrestees’ names and other identifying information to the media.