South Florida's independent source of local news and culture. Broward News. Jess Swanson July 8, AM. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. Support Us South Florida's independent source of local news and culture. Operation Trigger Point lasted only three days, but the final count was 64 cease-and-desist orders being issued as a result of the sting.
More than a third of those orders β 24 of them β were in Broward and Palm Beach counties. Florida requires that massage therapists clock in hours of experience before applying for a license and passing a state board exam. In addition, massage facilities are required to post their license number outside the storefront and have visible identification for each worker. Enforcing massage license requirements has been an ongoing effort.
From July to July , a total of 35 massage parlors in Broward and Palm Beach counties were found operating without the proper licenses. In Hollywood, the city recently passed an ordinance restricting the number of massage parlors allowed to operate. The city acknowledged that the law was less about bad massages than it was a measure to prevent human trafficking.
It is also illegal to accept cash or tips for sex and also illegal for a customer to ask for them. Experts believe that the internet discrete but also easy to search on Google provoked the recent spike in unlicensed massage parlors potentially linked to human trafficking.
Defense lawyers argue that this type of policing might lead to victims being charged with prostitution, a misdemeanor punishable by a day sentence. Defense lawyers are also quick to point out that massage parlors featuring Asian women and Oriental massages are unfairly targeted.
