Police union backs Sabina Covo for re-election to Miami City Commission

Sabina Covo won a Special Election in February to finish the term of former Commissioner Ken Russell, who left office after an unsuccessful run for Congress. Her seat was again up for grabs Tuesday. Image via Sabina Covo.

Miami Commissioner Sabina Covo just notched an endorsement from a local chapter of the self-described world’s largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers.

Covo’s campaign announced that the Miami Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 20 (Miami FOP) is officially backing her re-election bid for the District 2 seat on the City Commission.

The group joins a handful of other organizations and eight currently and formerly elected officials to voice support for Covo.

“Public safety is paramount and having strong leaders like Commissioner Sabina Covo at the forefront, fighting to invest in safer neighborhoods, is why we enthusiastically support her re-election,” Miami FOP President Felix Del Rosario said in a statement Wednesday.

“Sabina is committed to successful law enforcement strategies and to making sure the police department has the resources to meet its mission and get the job done for our residents.”

The Miami FOP nod adds to others from Ruth’s List Florida, Miami Dade Young Democrats, the Law Enforcement and Technology Federal Credit Union, and local chapters of the Service Employees International Union and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

Covo also carries endorsements from Rep. Ashely Gantt, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins, South Miami Mayor Javier Fernandez, former Sen. Annette Taddeo, former Miami-Dade Commission Chair Audrey Edmonson, former Miami Vice Mayor Rosario Kennedy and former City Commissioner Ken Russell, her predecessor on the Commission.

Covo, a public relations professional and former spokesperson for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, said in a statement that she is “humbled and grateful” for the support.

“Together, we are working to lower costs, improve safety, and solve problems for our residents,” she said. “As a former investigative reporter, I am focused on restoring trust in City Hall and putting an end to divisiveness and corruption that jeopardizes our future. It’s time for a return to an honest and transparent government because it’s what Miami residents deserve.”

Covo is one of eight candidates running for the seat representing District 2, which spans most of Miami’s coast, including the Brickell, Coconut Grove, downtown Miami, Edgewater and Morningside neighborhoods.

She won an eight-month term on the City Commission in a Special Election to replace Russell in February, when 12 others also sought the District 2 seat. Russell left office early for an unsuccessful congressional run.

Next month, voters will choose between her and cottage restorer Michael Castro; real estate agent Gabriela Chirinos; Miami Wealth Management President Michael Goggins; interior designer and hand-crafted goods seller Alicia Kossick; lawyer and Bayshore Place Condo Association President Eddy Leal; banker and community activist Damián Pardo; marketing consultant and former Casa Wynwood creative director Christi Tasker; and telecommunications manager and Downtown Neighbors Alliance President James Torres.

The Miami Commission is technically nonpartisan, as are its elections. Election Day is Nov. 7.