The Republican Rosie Cordero-Stutz, currently the deputy director of research services for the Miami-Dade Police Department, emerged victorious in the race for Miami-Dade sheriff against James Reyes, a Democrat born in Cuba who serves as the county's director of public safety.
It was the first time in 60 years that the position was subject to election, and voters chose a woman to lead the police institution.
Cordero-Stutz received 55% of the votes, surpassing James Reyes, 46 years old, who garnered only 45% of the votes.
Both received significant endorsements for their respective campaigns. James Reyes was backed by Miami-Dade Mayor Levine-Cava, while Cordero-Stutz was supported by Congressman Carlos Giménez, Governor Ron DeSantis, former President Donald Trump, 27 current sheriffs, and two former sheriffs from Florida, according to Telemundo 51.
James Reyes, 46 years old, born in Cuba, is the son of a political prisoner, and his family emigrated to the United States in the late 1970s.
His main weakness for the position was a lack of experience in law enforcement, as he has never been an officer in that department. In contrast, his rival has been with the Miami-Dade Police Department for 28 years.
He grew up in Miami but developed his law enforcement career over 25 years at the Broward County Sheriff's Office. He holds a degree in Criminology and has a master's in Criminal Justice. He is married and has three children.
For him, Miami-Dade is the place that provided him and his family with freedom and opportunity in the American Dream "after we fled the dangers of communism and made a new home in Hialeah."
The restoration of the sheriff's position is in response to Amendment 10, approved in 2018 by Florida voters, which allows for the direct election of this position in the region.
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