Jesse Scheckner
A countrywide union that represents law enforcement and support personnel with the AFL-CIO is backing Assistant Miami-Dade Police Director Rosie Cordero-Stutz’s bid for county Sheriff.
Cordero-Stutz’s campaign announced a new endorsement from the International Union of Police Associations (IUPA), which represents more than 4,000 police professionals across Florida.
The group was effusive in its praise of Cordero-Stutz, writing in an endorsement letter that it has “never been more confident of any endorsement.”
“With over 28 years of experience in the Miami-Dade County Police Department (MDPD), starting as a patrol officer and rising to Assistant Director, you have gained firsthand knowledge of our community and its needs,” the letter said.
The IUPA then took a crack at Cordero-Stutz’s Democratic opponent, Miami-Dade Chief of Public Safety James Reyes, a longtime jail warden who joined county Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s administration in late 2022 after more than two decades with the Broward County Sheriff’s Office.
“Your long-standing roots and trust within the community and the law enforcement arena did not begin two years ago,” the letter said, addressing Cordero-Stutz while slipping in a shot at Reyes. “They were built over nearly three decades of dedicated service.”
Other groups supporting Cordero-Stutz, a Republican, include the Florida Fraternal Order of Police and Hispanic Police Officers Association. She also carries nods from Donald Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis, 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 and Miami-Dade Commissioners Kevin Cabrera, René García, Rob Gonzalez and Anthony Rodriguez.
Two Democrats have also endorsed her: former Miami-Dade Commissioner Sally Heyman, who previously worked for the Miami and Miami Beach Police Departments, and ex-Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine.
Cordero-Stutz thanked the IUPA for its support in an X post.
“This endorsement affirms my commitment to upholding the highest standards of law enforcement in our Sheriff’s Office and my resolution to ensure that Miami-Dade residents are safe and secure,” she wrote.
Miami-Dade voters this year will elect their first Sheriff since 1966, when the county eliminated the position after a grand jury report revealed rampant corruption within the Sheriff’s Office. Today, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava serves as the de facto Sheriff and has an appointed Police Director and Chief of Public Safety who report to her.
That will soon change. In 2018, 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 by January.
Levine Cava is backing Reyes, a longtime executive of the Broward County Sheriff’s Office specializing in prisons who joined the Miami-Dade administration in 2022. In his role as Chief of Public Safety, Reyes oversees the county’s Police, Fire Rescue and Corrections Departments.
Others endorsing Reyes include Palm Beach Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony, many local elected officials, the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, National Association of Police Organizations, the South Florida AFL-CIO, SEIU Florida and several other union and advocacy organizations.
Cordero-Stutz and Reyes have agreed to debate in English on Sunday.
The General Election is on Nov. 5.
