Jesse Scheckner
Rosie Cordero-Stutz’s bid to be Miami-Dade’s first elected Sheriff since the 1960s just netted a nod from the county’s immediate past Mayor.
U.S. Rep. Carlos Giménez, who served as Miami-Dade Mayor from 2011 to 2020, said he is solidly behind Cordero-Stutz, a fellow Republican, for the county’s top cop post.
“Rosie Cordero-Stutz has a track record of upholding the highest ethical standards and can lead with a vision for a safer Miami-Dade County on Day 1,” he said. “Through her 27-plus-year career, Rosie has risen within the (Miami-Dade Police) Department’s ranks. And she has not only served as a law enforcement professional but has also grown alongside the community she has dedicated her life to protecting.”
The endorsement from Giménez is particularly noteworthy considering that under Miami-Dade’s strong Mayor form of government, he served as the county’s de facto Sheriff to whom an appointed Police Director answered.
That long-standing arrangement will be upended later this year, when Miami-Dade electors will choose a Sheriff to run all law enforcement operations countywide.
Cordero-Stutz, who has spent her entire law enforcement career in Miami-Dade, is overseeing the Police Department’s transition to a Sheriff’s Office in early 2025.
She should lead that office once the transition is complete, Giménez said.
“The transition to an elected Sheriff requires someone who knows the Miami-Dade Police Department inside and out,” he said.
Cordero-Stutz today works as Assistant Director of Support Services, which oversees the Communications, Records, Personal Management and Cyber bureaus, as well as the Employee Support Section.
A past acting Assistant Director of Police Services and Chief of the North Operations Division, she holds a master’s degree in public administration, numerous executive leadership certificates and is a graduate of two FBI training programs.
In a statement, she said she is “extremely honored” to receive Giménez’s endorsement.
“Congressman Giménez has been a lifelong public servant who understands the challenges of leading first responders,” she said. “Serving the citizens of Miami-Dade County for nearly 30 years has been the greatest honor of my life. My foremost priority is ensuring the safety of the great people of this county, and I look forward to continuing this vital work as the Sheriff of Miami-Dade.”
Miami-Dade hasn’t had an elected Sheriff since 1966, when county voters eliminated the position after a grand jury report revealed rampant corruption within the department. Instead, Miami-Dade has a Police Director, who is appointed by and reports to the Mayor.
That arrangement is changing this year. In 2018, 58% of Miami-Dade voters joined a statewide supermajority in approving a constitutional amendment requiring all 67 counties in Florida to have an elected Sheriff, Tax Collector, Property Appraiser and Clerk of Courts by early 2025.
Former Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez, a Republican-turned-Democrat, was widely considered a shoo-in for the returning Sheriff post until he attempted suicide on July 23 following a domestic dispute with his wife at a Sheriff’s conference in Tampa.
He dropped out of the race Sept. 20. Before that, however, he assigned Dade Cordero-Stutz the task of leading the Police Department-to-Sheriff’s Office transition.
Seventeen candidates are now running for Sheriff.
Four are Democrats: Miami-Dade Police Major John Barrow; federal agent-turned community activist Susan Khoury; retired Miami-Dade Lt. Rickey Mitchell; and Miami-Dade Chief of Public Safety James Reyes, who has overseen the county’s Police, Corrections and Fire Rescue Departments since he left the Broward Sheriff’s Office last year.
Republican candidates for the post include lawyer and former police officer Ignacio “Iggy” Alvarez; Miami-Dade Police Major Jose Aragu; Miami-Dade Police officer Jaspen Bishop; Miami City Police officer Ruamen DelaRua; retired Miami-Dade Police reserve officer Alex Fornet; former Miami Police Department Hostage Negotiator Jeffrey Giordano; retired Miami-Dade Police Major Mario Knapp; Miami-Dade Police Sgt. Orlando “Orly” Lopez; Miami-Dade Police officer Rolando Riera; retired Miami-Dade Police sergeant and police union President John Rivera; retired Miami-Dade Police officer Ernie Rodriguez; and Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Joe Sanchez.
The 2024 Primary Election is Aug. 20, followed by the General Election on Nov. 5.
