Jesse Scheckner
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw still has his own re-election contest ahead of him, but he’s also telling Miami-Dade voters who he thinks is the best choice for the job there: James Reyes.
In a statement shared by Reyes’ campaign, Bradshaw said he is backing Reyes, a fellow Democrat, “because he has trusted experience and a deep-rooted commitment to public safety.”
“With more than two decades of law enforcement experience in a Sheriff’s Office and now as Chief of Public Safety leading Miami-Dade Police, Corrections and Fire Rescue departments, Miami-Dade voters will be well-served with Chief Reyes as their next Sheriff,” he said.
Reyes’ campaign noted that he is the only candidate still in the race with executive leadership experience in a Sheriff’s Office. He worked for more than two decades at the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, including as Executive Director, before Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava hired him in 2022 to initially run the county’s Corrections Department. She promoted him to Chief of Public Safety last November. He announced his candidacy for Sheriff two months later.
He has received many endorsements since, including nods from Levine Cava, Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony, numerous elected state and local leaders, the Kendall Federation PAC, South Florida PBA and AFSCME Florida, among others.
Reyes said in a statement that he is honored by the support of Bradshaw, “who’s been faithfully serving the people of Palm Beach as Sheriff for nearly 20 years.”
“Ric Bradshaw knows better than almost anybody what it takes to lead a Sheriff’s Office and keep his community safe,” he said. “I’m running to be that leader for Miami-Dade — to build public trust, fight public corruption, and keep people safe in every corner of the county.”
Reyes soundly defeated three opponents in a Democratic Primary last month to clinch his spot on the General Election ballot.
He now faces Assistant Miami-Dade Police Director Rosie Cordero-Stutz, a Donald Trump-endorsed Republican who also carries nods from U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, U.S. Reps. Mario Díaz-Balart and Carlos Giménez, 27 current Florida Sheriffs and former Miami-Dade Commissioner Sally Heyman, a Democrat.
Cordero-Stutz beat 10 opponents in a Republican Primary to advance to the General Election, several of whom have since endorsed her. One is backing Reyes.
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 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.
