More than 1 million residents in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, from Miami Gardens in the north to Florida City in the south, may be in for some changes as Miami Dade prepares to elect a sheriff for the first time in nearly 60 years.
鈥淭here is a lot of power in the office of the sheriff,鈥� said Miami-Dade Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins, whose district includes large swaths of unincorporated territory.
鈥淚t's critically important that the person that is elected has the values that are tried and tested here in Miami Dade County,鈥� she said.
For those unincorporated areas, the county is their primary 鈥� and often only 鈥� local government resource. That includes law enforcement, which for the past several decades, has been the Miami-Dade Police Department.
That鈥檒l stay the same as the Sheriff鈥檚 office becomes the county police, either under Democratic candidate James Reyes or Republican Rosie Cordero-Stutz. The election is Tuesday, Nov. 5.
Cordero-Stutz, who is currently a Miami-Dade Police assistant director, has an endorsement from former President Donald Trump. Reyes, director of public safety for Miami-Dade, has the support of Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.
The county, the largest in Florida, is home to more registered Democratic voters than registered Republican or No Party Affiliation voters. Democrats represent about 38% of the county鈥檚 1.5 million registered voters. NPA鈥檚 are 32% followed by Republicans at 29%, according to the latest data from the Florida Department of Elections.
Both sheriff's candidates have decades of experience in law enforcement and corrections.
Whomever wins the election will have a fresh slate in many ways 鈥� the sheriff will be newly independent from the county commission, with no oversight from Miami-Dade administrators.
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鈥淧art of the first hundred days is starting a campaign to educate the community as to what the differences are and what they can expect,鈥� Reyes told SA国际传谋, emphasizing the need to prepare for the transition.
Cordero-Stutz outlined a similar vision of keeping residents in the loop.
鈥淲hat will matter is communication: my plan is to be very, very active and involved in communicating to this community who the Sheriff's office is and what we provide for them,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o that they never feel that they missed anything 鈥� not one day.鈥�
For both candidates, communication and education will be key in connecting with residents in unincorporated areas to ensure that their concerns are heard and so that there鈥檚 no uneasiness with the removal of county oversight.
Talking points against their opponent
The two are, in some ways, starkly pitted against each other, mostly over their opponent鈥檚 credentials.
Cordero-Stutz points out that Reyes hasn鈥檛 actually been a police officer, as she has, and contrasts his work with corrections in Broward to her decades of experience in Miami-Dade.
鈥淭hough I respect his career path, it is not the same set of skills,鈥� she said.
Conversely, Reyes described her career as less holistic than his 鈥� he sees his work in corrections as helping him see the big picture for public safety in Miami-Dade.
鈥淚 was recruited here to challenge the status quo,鈥� he told SA国际传谋, referring to his background and arguing that his connections with the current county administration aren鈥檛 going to hinder him if he becomes sheriff.
In terms of goals, though, they鈥檙e frequently on the same page. In separate interviews, both candidates told SA国际传谋 that they were prioritizing corruption investigations and increasing police presence in the community.
Some of those plans, like increasing officer presence, are welcome. Commissioner Cohen Higgins said issues in her district mean that the sheriff will have to adjust policing.
鈥淎 unique challenge that we have in the South is that we're growing,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat just means we need additional officers because with growth of population, obviously, we need additional officers to service these new areas.鈥�
Overall, she believes either candidate will serve the county well, and hopes that much of the current county policing model stays intact.
Serving unincorporated Miami-Dade
Dave Graveline feels the same way. He鈥檚 the chairperson of the Citizen Advisory Committee for Miami-Dade police, Northwest district.
County police have one of these volunteer committees for each of their districts, and their members meet with folks in the community to address local concerns and stay accountable to residents.
鈥淥ne of my biggest concerns, especially as a former Miami Dade police officer for many years, is to make sure that the police services that transition over to the Sheriff's office come January are taken care of,鈥� Graveline told SA国际传谋.
鈥淚n other words, that we're not involved with any politics within the county government," he said.
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Groups like the one Gravelines chairs help keep accountability between county police and unincorporated Miami-Dade.
When asked how they would specifically approach that accountability in unincorporated areas, neither Reyes nor Cordero-Stutz mentioned the Citizen Advisory Committees, but described how they鈥檇 like to implement similar groups.
鈥淥ne that I'm looking forward to is having a community outreach team that goes out to get feedback from our community: not sworn officers, but civilians,鈥� Reyes told SA国际传谋. 鈥淚 will have unfettered access, so to speak, to the feedback that we're getting from the community.鈥�
Reyes also discussed creating a professional standards committee that would mirror one used by the Broward Sheriff鈥檚 Office.
鈥淭hat involves civilians; not only in the review of internal affairs cases, not only on the disposition of those cases, but also on the recommendation of discipline for violations of policy,鈥� he said.
Cordero-Stutz would also like to have civilians communicating with residents and the sheriff, though her plan included some variety in folks involved.
鈥淏usiness leaders, civic leaders, religious leaders 鈥� everybody who has a say and a voice, and wants to have a say in a voice in the Sheriff's office,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he board would allow a direct communication between the sheriff and the community.鈥�
Graveline said he hopes they keep the groups already in place, utilizing them even more than the current county police do.
鈥淎s of this moment, there is not any communication with, for example, the police director from any of the various CACs,鈥� Graveline said. 鈥淚 think they're missing out there. I really do.鈥�
鈥淚 think that's where they're going to get some great back and forth feedback, which has not been done before,鈥� he added.
For both candidates, unincorporated Miami-Dade may be a litmus test for their commitment to accountability, especially in places where the sheriff will be top dog.
Policing the county may be daunting, but it's a fresh start for all three million residents.
"Should the sheriff fail to do their job, then the citizens of the county get the opportunity to vote them out, and vote someone else in," Cordero Stutz told SA国际传谋. "And that's something that we currently don't have in the leadership of our law enforcement."
