Pasco County is a county of about 540,000 residents located on the west central coast of Florida. Its county seat is Dade City, and its largest city is New Port Richey. Prostitution and sex trafficking have been well-documented within the county, resulting in complaints to law enforcement from residents and businesses.

In order to combat consumer-level demand for prostitution, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office has collaborated with the New Port Richey Police Department for undercover prostitution stings. For example, in May 2013, the two law enforcement agencies conducted a sting along U.S. 19 for two days during high traffic times, resulting in 16 arrests. That stretch of highway had become a major problem area for prostitution, resulting in complaints from businesses. The first day of the sting led to the arrest of 10 women for prostitution, and the second day six sex buyers were arrested. Their mugshots were released to the press.

Another operation in November 2014, conducted by the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office in collaboration with the New Port Richey and Tarpon Springs police departments, resulted in the arrest of seven sex buyers. This operation was also a result of community complaints and targeted those who solicit prostitution. The men’s names, ages, and arrest photos were released to the public. An August 2015 operation along U.S. 19, spanning from New Port Richey to Hudson, resulted in the arrest of 24 prostituted persons and sex buyers.