Florida AG says ‘predators will be hunted down’ as undercover operation ends with 281 arrests and nearly 500 new criminal charges
Tallahassee, Florida – Florida authorities say a weeklong undercover operation uncovered far more than people attempting to buy s*x. Among the 281 people arrested were suspects accused of trying to meet children for s*xual activity, some of whom traveled to Polk County expecting to encounter minors.
The scale of the operation was striking. Hundreds of new criminal charges, dozens of firearms, and suspects with extensive criminal histories emerged from seven days of coordinated law enforcement activity.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd announced the results of Operation Polk Around & Find Out II, a multi-agency investigation that resulted in 281 arrests and 488 new criminal charges. Of those charges, 198 are felonies.
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The investigation combined two separate undercover efforts conducted simultaneously by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and its law enforcement partners.
One operation focused on adults attempting to arrange s*xual encounters with minors. That investigation resulted in 32 arrests. The second targeted human trafficking and prostitution-related activity, producing another 249 arrests, including 117 people accused of buying s*x and 122 arrested for prostitution.
Authorities also highlighted the criminal backgrounds of those taken into custody.
Collectively, the 281 defendants had accumulated 798 previous criminal charges, including 358 felonies. Nine were on probation for offenses ranging from bank robbery to cruelty toward a child.
Nine others had previously been arrested during Polk County Sheriff’s Office undercover operations. Two had been caught in the original Polk Around & Find Out operation earlier in 2026.
The investigation also revealed concerns involving weapons and drugs. According to authorities, suspects brought 24 firearms to the operation, while 32 people faced drug possession charges involving substances including methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl.
The arrests extended well beyond Polk County.
Only 40 people arrested were county residents. Others came from communities throughout Florida, 20 additional states and 18 countries. Seventeen of those arrested were employed at theme parks.
Authorities reported that 32 people arrested were undocumented immigrants from countries including Cuba, Venezuela, Mexico and Haiti. Sixteen had already been transferred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Uthmeier emphasized that Florida intends to pursue those accused of targeting children.
“Predators who target Florida’s children will be hunted down and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier.
The attorney general thanked investigators, prosecutors and participating agencies for their work in coordinating the operation.
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Sheriff Judd delivered a particularly strong warning about adults who approach minors through the internet.
“These predators are out there, online, trying to groom and violate our children,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
Judd said investigators identified and charged 31 suspected child s*x predators during the week. He described the communications uncovered by detectives as deeply disturbing, even for experienced investigators accustomed to reviewing such evidence.
He also urged parents to monitor their children’s online activity and maintain awareness of whom their children communicate with.
Florida law treats traveling to meet a minor for unlawful s*xual activity as a second-degree felony under Florida Statutes Section 847.0135(4). A conviction can carry a prison sentence of up to 15 years.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office led the operation with assistance from numerous municipal, county, state and federal agencies, including the Office of Statewide Prosecution, the State Attorney’s Office for the Tenth Judicial Circuit, ICE, the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division.
One More Child and the Florida Department of Children and Families provided victim support.
According to the attorney general’s office, more than 2,300 child predators have been arrested across Florida since Uthmeier assumed office in February 2025.
The latest operation adds to that statewide enforcement effort, while the hundreds of new charges now place the focus on prosecution and accountability. The allegations against those arrested remain subject to the judicial process.
