Jesse Scheckner
Four more elected local officials are backing Miami-Dade Public Safety Chief James Reyes for county Sheriff.
Reyes’ campaign announced the endorsements from Hollywood Rep. Marie Woodson, North Bay Village Mayor Brent Latham, Florida City Mayor Otis Wallace and Miami Beach Vice Mayor Laura Dominguez.
All provided strong statements of support.
Woodson, who worked as a Miami-Dade public administrator before successfully seeking a House seat in 2020, pointed to Reyes’ administrative bona fides as key to securing her nod.
Reyes worked for two decades at the Broward Sheriff’s Office, rising through the ranks in the agency’s office to become Director. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava hired him in 2022 to lead the county’s troubled Corrections Department and expanded his responsibilities the following year to overseeing the Police, Fire Rescue and Corrections Departments.
“For 25 years, Chief James Reyes has served our community by putting public safety and public trust above all else,” Woodson said. “As the only candidate with executive experience in a Sheriff’s office, I know Chief Reyes has the knowledge, skills, and commitment needed to keep us safe and I am proud to support his campaign for Sheriff.”
Latham said Reyes has “the right experience” and is “a proven leader that our community can trust.”
“This November, Miami-Dade will elect its first Sheriff in over 60 years, and our residents deserve a leader with the experience necessary to step in and keep us safe on Day One — no learning curve,” he said.
Wallace said Reyes “shares our values.”
“I am proud to endorse Chief James Reyes for Sheriff of our county because of his commitment to engaging our entire community, building community trust, and making sure our residents feel safe in neighborhoods across Miami-Dade,” he said.
Dominguez added, “Our next Sheriff will need to collaborate with municipalities and bring our county together for effective public safety. Chief James Reyes has two and a half decades of experience as an executive and trusted leader in law enforcement and knows how to work well across government agencies to keep us safe. He’s a man of integrity who has proven his dedication to both public service and public safety — and that’s why I am proud to endorse him for Sheriff of Miami-Dade County.”
The new endorsements join others from Levine Cava, embattled Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony, AFSCME Florida and several other local leaders.
Reyes leads a field of 17 candidates in fundraising for the Miami-Dade Sheriff job. He’s one of four Democrats seeking the job.
Thirteen Republicans are running as well, including Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Joe Sanchez, the largest GOP fundraiser so far; Assistant Miami-Dade Police Director Rosie Cordero-Stutz, who carries a rare county-level endorsement from Donald Trump; and retired Miami-Dade Police Major Mario Knapp, who placed third in first-quarter fundraising among Republicans.
The 2024 Primary Election is on Aug. 20, followed by the General Election on Nov. 5.
