Jesse Scheckner
Miami-Dade just installed its five elected constitutional officers. All of them are Republican.
That’s noteworthy in a county where Democrats have long outnumbered, and still outnumber, their political counterparts.
And according to the man who steered the county’s GOP apparatus through the 2024 election and at least some of the winners, it’s in no small part due to the party’s strong messaging, funding and on-the-ground efforts.
The combined victories of Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz, Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez, Clerk Juan Fernandez-Barquin, Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia and Property Appraiser Tomás Regalado mark a historic achievement for the Miami-Dade GOP, said Hialeah state Rep. Alex Rizo, who led the party last year.
“This success reflects the power of teamwork, a relentless focus on our mission, and a unified vision driven by the best candidate at the top of the ticket — President-elect Donald Trump,” he told Florida Politics.
“Together, we are cementing Miami-Dade as a fresh Republican stronghold, and our newly installed constitutional officers will deliver accountable, effective leadership that prioritizes public safety, economic growth, and better leadership anchored in the values we all share.”
Trump won Miami-Dade on Nov. 5 by a whopping 11.4 percentage points, flipping one of Florida’s most dependably blue counties by a greater margin than the last time Republican presidential candidate to win there, George H.W. Bush, did in 1988.
No federal or state legislative seats in Miami-Dade changed hands. That wasn’t especially shocking, considering a massive uptick in registered Republicans statewide and redistricting that last year drew legal challenges from progressive groups accusing the state of racial gerrymandering.
But the countywide constitutional offices were a different story. They involved no district bounds aside from the county’s borders. And in some races, the GOP candidates were financial underdogs.
Take Fernandez, the owner of a Coral Gables-based software company who previously served on a Miami-Dade Community Council. He raised and spent about $80,500 through Election Day while seeking the Tax Collector job.
His Democratic opponent, former Miami Beach Commissioner and state Rep. David Richardson, a CPA, raised and spent more than $750,000.
Despite that immense funding divide, Fernandez won by roughly the same margin as Trump.
So did Fernandez-Barquin, Garcia and Cordero-Stutz.
Regalado, who carried a sizable funding advantage over Democrat Marisol Zenteno, won by an even greater difference.
“The win of the Republican slate of all the constitutional offices is indicative of the prevailing political temperature in our county,” said Fernandez-Barquin, a former state Representative who defeated former state Sen. Annette Taddeo, a Democrat, to keep the seat Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed him to in June 2023.
Fernandez-Barquin added that Rizo “was instrumental in promoting our grassroots efforts by providing us with resources that allowed us to get the word out among voters.”
Garcia, a longtime GOP operative who in November outpaced Democratic ethics and elections lawyer J.C. Planas, a fellow ex-Florida House member, agreed.
“This victory is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and shared vision of our candidates, who were not only committed to offering real solutions to the challenges facing our community but also brought the qualifications and experience needed to lead effectively. Voters responded to that vision and leadership, and now, as elected officials, we are ready to work together to serve Miami-Dade County with integrity and commitment,” she said.
“I also want to commend Alex Rizo for his exceptional leadership as Chair of the Miami-Dade GOP. His dedication and strategic guidance were crucial in uniting the party and helping us to achieve this historic outcome.”
Cordero-Stutz’s path to victory was arguably the most arduous. She narrowly emerged from an 11-way GOP Primary in which she wasn’t the lead fundraiser and took repeated swipes from the race’s money leader, Joe Sanchez, over her Broward County residency and willingness to work with Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, a Democrat.
But Cordero-Stutz still carried advantages in the contest. Trump endorsed her ahead of the Primary, as did U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, U.S. Reps. Mario Díaz-Balart and Carlos Giménez, 27 active Florida Sheriffs and former Miami-Dade Police Department Director Juan Perez.
After narrowly winning the Primary, she faced Democrat James Reyes, a Levine Cava-backed contender who carried the largest war chest among all Sheriff’s candidates in Miami-Dade last year
Some saw the Trump endorsement as a potential albatross in the General Election for Cordero-Stutz, who before the Sheriff’s race maintained a low political profile. Through Election Day, she spent about $1 million. Reyes, who carried nods from the incumbent Sheriffs of Broward and Palm Beach counties and Miami-Dade’s immediate past Police Director, Freddy Ramirez, spent $1.65 million.
It proved a waste. Cordero-Stutz won handily with 55.6% of the vote.
The victory marked the penultimate step in a process that began in 2018, when 58% of Miami-Dade voters joined a statewide supermajority in approving a constitutional amendment requiring all counties to have an elected Sheriff, Clerk, Property Appraiser, Supervisor of Elections and Tax Collector.
Since the 1960s, Miami-Dade has been alone in Florida for having a county Police Department rather than a Sheriff’s Office and an appointed Police Director instead of a Sheriff. The county’s Tax Collector and Supervisor of Elections were also appointed posts until Tuesday.
During her swearing-in at a packed ceremony at the Miami Dade College School of Justice in downtown Miami, Cordero-Stutz eschewed political talk to instead stress unity, accountability and service.
“As we embark on this new endeavor, I’m greatly aware (that) the success of this new Office must be rooted in community bonds that require nourishment through accessibility, transparency, constant dialog and honest feedback,” she said.
“Today, as we close the Miami-Dade Police Department, we recognize the Department’s commitment to protect our community for the past 60 years, adapting to changes, understanding our rich diversity and (defending) those core values that make Miami-Dade uniquely unique. As the new Sheriff of Miami-Dade, I will build on that history.”
