South Florida’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force awarded $500K in federal funding

By Shira Moolten
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

MIAMI — South Florida law enforcement agencies have received over $500,000 in federal funds to help combat an explosion in child exploitation online, officials announced Tuesday.

Over the last few years, local law enforcement agencies say they have been inundated with cyber tips about child exploitation, a deepening national problem now fueled by technological advancements such as AI and networks of child predators on the dark web who buy and sell photos and videos of child sexual abuse.

In response, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz fought to obtain federal funding totaling $535,000 for South Florida’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the local chapter of a national network of law enforcement agencies that work to combat online child predators. The task force, helmed by the Broward Sheriff’s Office, covers 12 counties and is made up of dozens of local law enforcement agencies.

“Of all the programs and agencies that Congress funds, those that are dedicated to keeping our children safe from sexual predators demand sufficient resources,” Wasserman Schultz said at a Tuesday news conference announcing the funding. “Anything less is unacceptable.”

She was joined at the Broward Sheriff’s Office headquarters by Sheriff Gregory Tony and Sgt. Thomas McInerney , who oversees the task force.

South Florida’s ICAC task force has seen a nearly 1,000% increase in tips in eight years, Tony said, from a little over 2,000 in 2017 to over 25,000 in 2025. Last year, agencies within South Florida’s ICAC task force made over 500 arrests. But officials say more resources are needed.

“We’re seeing the enhancements, we’re seeing the improvements, but for every 532 that we had in terms of success, what did we miss, what did we not get, whether it was because of manpower or technology?” Tony said, adding that he recently dedicated three new detectives to the ICAC unit.

Many of last year’s arrests had to do with people trading and possessing child pornography, according to McInerney, as well as people extorting and sending children harmful sexual material and traveling to meet minors for sex. Wasserman Schultz emphasized that her biggest concern is the dark web, where networks of predators buy and sell child pornography while evading detection. AI-generated child pornography has also surged, adding to the problem.

The money will be used for “digital forensic software, a forensic van upgrade and investigative tools to assist dedicated analysts in identifying victims and predators to both get them off the internet and away from our children,” Wasserman Schultz said. It will also help keep South Florida’s ICAC funded following a decrease in financing from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children .

The funding also comes amid the growing popularity of civilian predator-catching groups in South Florida who pose as minors online and then film meet-ups with accused predators. Some have argued that what they do is necessary because law enforcement isn’t proactive enough.

Asked if the money would address some of the issues surrounding the rise in these groups, McInerney said Tuesday that the funding “will definitely enhance our capabilities to locate (predators) faster and develop those kinds of investigations.”

“We appreciate the attention they bring to the matter,” he said of the civilian groups. “However, their tactics are not something we condone due to the safety issues with that and the lack of prosecution of these individuals.”

Looking to navigate the complexities of grants funding? Lexipol is your go-to resource for state-specific, fully developed grants services that can help fund your needs. Find out more about our grants services here.