Reviewing the effectiveness of Florida's public list of sex buyers

A year after the ABC Action News I-Team revealed a state database meant to publicly shame and deter sex buyers listed just one person despite hundreds of arrests, a formal review of Florida's "Johns" list was recently sent to the Governor and lawmakers. The Soliciting for Prostitution Public Database went info effect in 2021, with all but one lawmaker supporting the list. The thought was the database would help to prevent sex trafficking. But the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA), a research arm of the Florida legislature, found what the I-Team did — that there were significant delays in adding anyone to the list and that for any public shaming to have a shot at deterring sex buyers, the public would have to know the list exists and it needs to provide more information.