‘This has been a journey to get here:’ 5 counties announce new task force to protect kids

Meghan Moriarty
·1 min read

A new task force aimed at keeping your children safe is now up and running in five Northeast Florida counties. It’s a partnership with local sheriffs, the Tim Tebow Foundation and Operation Light Shine.

“This has been a journey to get here,” Matthew Murphy said. He founded Operation Light Shine after tragedy struck his family in 2019, when his sister fell victim to human trafficking. “My sister got pulled into that underworld. The details of her death and how it happened, we still have not been able to find out. But, on Christmas Eve 2019 her body was found in a river.”

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During a news conference in Green Cove Springs, on Thursday, sheriffs from Duval, St. Johns, Putnam, Nassau and Clay—along with other law enforcement agencies—stood together as one. They announced the brand new task force collaboration.

“This partnership, in essence, will erase jurisdictional boundaries and barriers to investigating and prosecuting those who manipulate and victimize our very young and vulnerable,” Clay County Undersheriff, Ron Lendvay, said.

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The Northeast Florida area accounted for more than 2,300 combined child sexual exploitation and human trafficking cases, according to Lendvay.

Operation Light Shine will help with staffing and support to not only identify child victims, but help rescue victims too.

“This group of people put the mission above the credit,” Tim Tebow said. “Because what does credit matter when lives are at stake?”

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