New Port Richey is a city of approximately 26,000 residents, located in the northern suburbs of Clearwater and Tampa in Pasco County, Florida. Street prostitution, particularly along the U.S. 19 corridor, has posed significant problems to the community, including cases of prostitution-related homicides.  For example, in one case a john was robbed and murdered by a prostituted woman in 2010 in New Port Richey. In October 2014, local residents met with city officials to complain about rampant street prostitution in the U.S. 19 area. Among their concerns, residents reported frequently being solicited by both johns and prostituted women in , including an 18-year-old female resident in the Bellview Avenue area who noted that she had been “approached and verbally accosted in her driveway and by her mailbox” by johns attempting to solicit her.

To address such issues, the New Port Richey Police Department and Pasco County Sheriff’s Office have conducted street-level reverse stings to combat the demand that drives commercial sex markets. Officers report that anti-prostitution efforts are often driven by persistent complaints from residents and local businesses. Once arrested, johns’ names are often publicized by the media.  In September 2013, the NPR Chief of Police announced that he was researching new city ordinances meant to get tougher on prostitution, particularly the sex buyers.  Options discussed were SOAP orders and ordinances allowing police to cite individuals for repeatedly circling known prostitution “tracks” in vehicles, which would be applied to johns.