Sheriff Says 17 Theme Park Workers, 13 From Disney and 4 From Universal, Were Among 281 Arrested in Polk County Sting

Seventeen of the 281 people arrested in a weeklong Polk County undercover operation told detectives they are employed at local theme parks or resorts, Disney World and Universal Studios among them, the Polk County Sheriff's Office announced on Friday, October 30. Seven of those 17 were arrested as alleged child sex predators.

At the news conference, Sheriff Grady Judd said 13 of the 17 worked for Disney and four for Universal, CBS12 reports. Judd said Disney informed investigators it had fired the employees. The charges are allegations, and none of the people arrested has been convicted.

What the sheriff's office says happened

The operation, called "Polk Around and Find Out II," ran for seven days and focused on two kinds of crime, according to the sheriff's office release. One was adults trying to meet children for sex. The other was human trafficking, and most of the arrests on that side were for prostitution offenses.

• 281 arrests in total, on 198 felony and 290 misdemeanor charges. The release counts 11 arrests outside the two groups below.
• 31 arrests were tied to alleged child sexual predators, people the release says communicated online with who they thought were children or their guardians.
• 239 arrests were tied to prostitution offenses, including 117 people accused of soliciting and 122 accused of traveling to commit prostitution.
• 11 human trafficking victims were identified. Detectives, working with One More Child and the Florida Department of Children and Families, screened the 122 people accused of traveling to commit prostitution for signs that they were being trafficked or exploited, and all were offered services.

The sheriff's release puts the theme park figure this way: "17 of the suspects told detectives they work at local theme parks or resorts, including Disney World and Universal Studios." That employment is what the suspects told detectives. The release itself does not split the 17 by company. The 13 and four figures come from Judd's remarks at the news conference.

The sheriff's office graphic of people arrested in the child predator side of the operation, all of whom face allegations only. Image: Polk County Sheriff's Office

What we know about the theme park workers

Little so far. The sheriff's office has not said which parks or jobs the four Universal workers held. The release describes each of the 31 alleged child predators individually, and none of those descriptions mentions Universal. The release does not say whether any of the four Universal workers are among the seven theme park workers arrested as alleged child predators. The sheriff's release says one of the alleged child predators told detectives he works in Toy Story Land, which is at Disney's Hollywood Studios, and that part of his uniform and his Disney badge were found in his vehicle.

Universal's response is not settled in the reporting. FOX 35 Orlando wrote that "Universal also said that it fired the workers who were arrested," but the same article later says officials have not confirmed whether any employer beyond Walt Disney World has taken disciplinary action. Pirates & Princesses reported that neither company had commented in early reports. We have not seen a statement from Universal.

In the sheriff's words

"During this investigation, we arrested 7 predators who work at local theme parks, and a children's football and cheerleading coach," Judd said in the release. "This is why it's critically important that parents continually monitor not only their children's online activities, but also to know who the adults are in your children's lives."

Investigators from more than a dozen agencies took part, including the Department of Homeland Security, the Office of Statewide Prosecution under Attorney General James Uthmeier, the Florida Department of Financial Services and the Osceola County Sheriff's Office. The release says an Orange County deputy sheriff was also among those arrested for soliciting.

Sources

• Polk County Sheriff's Office, "Polk County Sheriff's Office makes 281 arrests during human trafficking and child predator enforcement operation 'Polk Around and Find Out II'" (October 30, 2026)
• CBS12, "281 arrested in Florida child predator, human trafficking sting; 17 worked at theme parks" (October 30, 2026)
• FOX 35 Orlando, "Disney workers, deputy and youth coach among 281 arrested in Polk County human trafficking sting" (October 30, 2026)
• Pirates & Princesses, "17 theme park workers among 281 arrested in Polk County sting" (October 30, 2026)

Image credit: Polk County Sheriff's Office.