A powerful multi-agency initiative led by the National Child Protection Task Force (NCPTF) has successfully rescued 25 missing children across six counties in Florida, according to a recent press release from the NCPTF. 

The three-day operation, which concluded on June 18, has developed new investigative leads in several other missing persons cases and is being hailed as a model for coordinated child protection efforts nationwide.

Coordinated Action Across Counties

The massive operation involved a coalition of partners, including Operation Light Shine, the Tim Tebow Foundation, the Clay County Sheriff's Office, the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, along with over 20 other agencies.

A dedicated team of 70 professionals — law enforcement officers, child advocates, social workers, prosecutors, and nonprofit leaders — worked together out of the Jacksonville office of Operation Light Shine.

According to WJAX, Kevin Branzetti, CEO of the NCPTF, said the children found ranged in age from 7 to 17 years old, and some had been missing for over 400 days. Others had only recently disappeared.

“Some of these kids had vanished for over a year. Others had been missing just over a week. Every recovery is a life altered for the better,” Branzetti told the outlet.

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Inside the Operation

The mission covered Clay, Duval, St. Johns, Nassau, Putnam, and Flagler Counties. Through case reviews, advanced technology, and trauma-informed strategies, teams worked tirelessly to locate each child and secure safe environments for them post-recovery.

“The operation involved intensive case review, investigative follow-up, and advanced technology to rapidly locate children,” the NCPTF noted in its official release.

Operation Light Shine shared emotional glimpses into the impact of the rescues on social media, writing:

“What we witnessed this week was extraordinary. A girl with nothing offering her only meal to an advocate. Teens reimagining their future — asking about GEDs, stable housing, and careers.”

The nonprofit emphasized that “countless lives were forever changed.”

A Community United

A spokesperson for the Clay County Sheriff’s Office praised the unified action:

“There’s no greater responsibility than protecting our most vulnerable — our youth. Operations like this demonstrate the power of working in unified action.”

Tim Tebow, founder of the Tim Tebow Foundation, also commended the collaboration:

“One of our non-negotiables at the Tim Tebow Foundation is that there is power when we come together. We’re humbled to stand in the gap for these missing and vulnerable children,” Tebow said in a statement.

“Our heart is to fight for the world’s Most Vulnerable People — the real MVPs,” he added.

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Ongoing Work and Future Rescues

Though 25 children were found, officials say the work is far from over. The NCPTF emphasized that the results will help lead to even more rescues throughout Florida.

“As case work continues, additional rescues are expected throughout the region,” the NCPTF said. “To protect privacy, details about individual cases will be handled confidentially.”

This operation, the first of its kind in northeast Florida, serves as a hopeful sign of what is possible when public agencies and private organizations work together with urgency and compassion.

For more information on this operation and future efforts, visit ncptf.org, operationlightshine.org, or timtebowfoundation.org.