Bonita Springs is a city of approximately 54,000 residents, located between Fort Myers and Naples in Lee County, Florida. Prostitution activity has been well-documented in the city, surrounding communities, and other county areas. This activity and the problems and ancillary crimes it generates result in complaints to law enforcement agencies from residents and businesses.

Consumer-level demand provides the revenue stream for all prostitution and sex trafficking and has therefore been targeted by local law enforcement agencies as a strategy for prevention and response. Since at least 2006, the Bonita Springs Police Department has conducted several street-level reverse stings along city thoroughfares. Media outlets frequently report that stings are conducted in response to complaints from local residents. Following a reverse sting in March 2007, for example, one source stated that “Deputies decided to conduct the operation after getting complaints from innocent women that say they were being propositioned.” In February 2011, deputies conducted a web-based reversal resulting in the arrest of seven sex buyers. For the operation, law enforcement officers placed decoy advertisements on a website known for commercial sex. As men responded to the listings, an undercover female officer arranged to meet them nearby. When the men arrived and made an explicit offer of cash for sex, the officer signaled a backup team to make the arrests. To warn other would-be sex buyers, the BSPD routinely releases the names and other identifying information (including arrest photos) of sex buyers arrested and charged with solicitation.