Local Business Owner Locke Burt Recognized at Florida Missing Childrens Day Ceremony

Locke Burt, chairman and president of Ormond Beach-based Security First Insurance Company, is one of six individuals to receive this year’s John and Reve Walsh award on Monday, Sept. 13 at the Missing Children’s Day ceremony held in the Capitol Courtyard in Tallahassee.

As proclaimed by Resolution of the Florida Legislature, the second Monday in September is designated as Florida Missing Children’s Day. The annual event is an opportunity to raise awareness of Florida’s missing children, recognize individuals who have made a difference in child protection, and educate the public on child safety and abduction prevention.

Locke Burt is being recognized for his work as Florida Senator which included writing Senate Bill 958. This bill is commonly referred to as the Public Safety Information Act of 1997, and made Florida the first state to provide sexual predator and offender information on the Internet and through a 24-hour hotline. Under this bill, the public was granted access to information vital to their protection. At the time, Florida had 471 sexual predators and approximately 8,000 sexual offenders listed in the database. Today, there are 8,354 sexual predators and 46,306 sexual offenders that are registered and whose information is available for public access.

“I’m honored to receive this award and my heart goes out to the families who have had to endure the nightmare of a missing child,” said Burt. “We must continue to do all we can to protect Florida’s families.”

Locke Burt, Attorney General Bill McCollum, law enforcement officers, and the bloodhounds used in search and rescue efforts attended the ceremony in Tallahassee to help increase awareness of Florida’s missing children.