The Department of Homeland Security's Tampa office is joining forces with a University of South Florida-based project to combat human trafficking.
The Bridging Resource Information and Gaps in Human Trafficking Network, or BRIGHT Network, is a collection of health care, legal services and safe housing for human trafficking victims.
On Friday, officials with USF, which hosts and funds the network, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Homeland Security Investigations' Tampa and Miami offices.
A ceremony held at HSI Tampa to mark the signing featured remarks from BRIGHT founder and director Shelly Wagers, HSI National Director John Condon, and other agents.
"Part of what this is moving forward is a research project, utilizing a lived experience, full-victim response model in conjunction with law enforcement," Wagers said.
BRIGHT is housed within the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Risk to Resilience Lab at the USF St. Petersburg campus. Wagers, a criminology professor at USF, developed the network in close collaboration with anti-trafficking professionals and service providers.
The database does not directly provide case management; rather, it's designed to help those who do — social workers, nonprofits and law enforcement partners — collaborate on getting help to trafficking victims.
"I'm absolutely thrilled that law enforcement is going to have a top-tier academic institution giving us pointers and guided, published research," Tampa HSI Acting Special Agent Micah McCombs said.
Francine-Bono Neri, President of Nurses United Against Human Trafficking, planted the groundwork for Friday's agreement through discussions with former Miami HSI Acting Special Agent Anthony Salisbury.
After President Donald Trump nominated Anthony Salisbury to serve as his Deputy Homeland Security advisor, McCombs took over the project.
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When it comes to human trafficking investigations, officials said the Department of Homeland Security operates under a victim-centered, trauma-informed framework.
"Enforcement alone is not enough," Miami HSI Special Agent Jose Figueroa, said. "When a victim is identified, the response must be immediately coordinated and focus on the recovery. That's why this partnership matters — BRIGHT Network enhances our ability to rapidly connect survivors with essential services."
Figueroa said that South Florida is a particularly high-risk area for human trafficking due to its high volume of international travel hubs. A 2024 USF report found that Florida has one of the highest trafficking rates in the nation, and the domestic sex trade often preys on those in the entertainment and tourism industries in Orlando, Tampa and Miami.
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"Human trafficking often hides in plain sight," Figueroa explained, emphasizing that cracking down on trafficking remains a major priority for DHS.
The collaboration will aid law enforcement in determining best courses of action for serving victims and bringing trafficking operations to justice. BRIGHT's team, in turn, will be able to filter out false leads and use DHS research to fill gaps in reporting and serving victims.
However, Wagers said solutions to re-trafficking are a key research need going forward.
Survivors forced into criminal activity often face barriers to applying for loans and jobs, and some victims return to an exploitative situation multiple times because they lack other, legitimate forms of income streams.
"Our systems are really good at funding the emergency services — the initial, what we call 'stabilization' services," Wagers said. "They're not really good at recognizing the long-term needs and impact, and that's where things tend to drop off — studying and understanding the various barriers survivors face in trying to do basic things."
The BRIGHT network launched in May 2024, after TIP researchers conducted a comprehensive needs assessment to identify gaps in services for victims.
The current team, which Wagers heads, is made up of university criminology experts and graduate students engaged in applied field research. BRIGHT's advisory council includes trafficking survivor and advocate Marianne Thomas and Liana Dean, a social worker with expertise in trauma and behavioral health.
BRIGHT's collection includes almost 150 care providers — safe housing, counseling, and childcare — as well as legal representation, continuing education programs and job placement services. Key partners include Gulfcoast Legal Services, Samaritan Village and the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay.
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