Jesse Scheckner
Miami-Dade Public Safety Chief James Reyes and Assistant Miami-Dade Police Director Rosie Cordero-Stutz are onboard for the first of two planned English-language debates in the race for county Sheriff.
It’s set for Sunday, Oct. 6 on ABC affiliate WPLG’s “This Week in South Florida,” with anchor Glenna Milberg moderating.
Reyes, a Democrat, is competing with Cordero-Stutz, a Republican, to be the county’s first elected top cop in more than half a century.
On Friday, Reyes’ campaign called for four televised debates, two in English, two in Spanish. Cordero-Stutz’s camp tentatively agreed to the plan.
Four days later, Reyes’ team announced that it accepted WPLG’s offer to host the first debate. Cordero-Stutz’s campaign told Florida Politics it has also agreed to the debate’s date and terms.
“After a decisive Primary win, carrying precincts in every corner of Miami-Dade County, Chief Reyes is excited to share with voters why bipartisan leaders, community organizations and residents from all walks of life are supporting his campaign and offer a clear vision for Miami-Dade’s future,” Reyes’ senior campaign adviser, Christian Ulvert, said in a statement Tuesday.
“Unlike his opponent who took to attacks, misleading information and divisive rhetoric mere hours after narrowly winning her Primary, Chief Reyes has shown to be a unifier who will always put people and community above partisan divides.”
Also on Tuesday, Reyes’ campaign announced an endorsement from LGBTQ advocacy group SAVE Action PAC. The nod adds to many others, including from Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony, numerous local elected leaders, the Kendall Federation PAC, South Florida Police Benevolent Association and AFSCME, among others.
SAVE Executive Director Todd Delmay said in a statement that Reyes “has the proven experience needed to lead Miami-Dade safely and ensure resources are deployed to protect our neighborhoods.
“Chief Reyes believes that everyone in our community deserves the freedom to live their lives safely without violence, fear, or discrimination,” he said. “His commitment to earning public trust and his dedication to the safety of all residents makes him the leader we need,” Delmay said.
Cordero-Stutz’s campaign, meanwhile, announced an endorsement from Sally Heyman, a Democratic teacher-turned-public servant who served for eight years in the Florida House, two decades on the Miami-Dade Commission and seven years on the North Miami Beach Council.
Others backing Cordero-Stutz include former President Donald Trump, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, U.S. Reps. Mario Díaz-Balart and Carlos Giménez, 27 current Florida Sheriffs, former Miami-Dade Police Director Juan Perez, the Florida Fraternal Order of Police and a handful of Cordero-Stutz’s former Primary foes.
In a statement, Heyman said her endorsement came with “great confidence, personal knowledge, and experience” working with Cordero-Stutz, whom she credited for elevating cybersecurity measures, increasing community patrolling and enhancing officer protections.
“Rosie has demonstrated a ‘get it done’ attitude — working effectively with lawmakers, police officers, and other first responders — collaborating with political influence since her early days as a patrol officer and over the past decade in administrative positions,” Heyman said.
“She knows the Department, all the municipal Police Departments, and all the criminal justice system partners. … We need and deserve to have her as our Sheriff.”
Reyes spent decades at the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, including four years as its Executive Director. He joined Levine Cava’s administration in December 2022, first as Director of the county’s Corrections and Rehabilitation Department. Since November 2023, he has worked as Chief of Public Safety, a job in which he oversees the Police, Fire Rescue and Corrections Departments.
He soundly defeated three fellow Democrats in a Primary last month to clinch his spot on the General Election ballot in November.
Cordero-Stutz has served on the Miami-Dade Police Department for 28 years, including nearly two years as Assistant Director. Last month, she won election as President of the Florida FBI National Academy Association, a nonprofit of senior law enforcement professionals focused on improving policing practices.
She is the first Hispanic woman elected to lead the organization, whose members must have graduated from the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia.
Cordero-Stutz outpaced 10 opponents in last month’s Republican Primary for Sheriff, two of whom carried larger war chests into Election Day.
As WLRN reported, Reyes and Cordero-Stutz live in Broward. Both vowed to relocate to Miami-Dade with a win in November.
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 agency. Instead, the Mayor today serves as the de facto Sheriff and has since had an appointed Police Director or Chief of Public Safety who reports to them.
That will soon change, due to a 2018 referendum in which 58% of Miami-Dade voters joined a statewide supermajority in approving a constitutional amendment requiring that the county join Florida’s 66 other counties in having an elected Sheriff.
The General Election is Nov. 5.
