On Tuesday morning, the Miami-Dade Police Department ceased to exist, and it morphed into the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office. Color Guard officers rolled up the department’s old flag and unveiled a new flag for the new office, marking the end of an era and the beginning of a new one.
Republican Rosie Cordero-Stutz was elected to the new office in November, and she was sworn into the post at the Miami Dade College North Campus in front of the new flag, immediately making her one of the most powerful politicians in South Florida.
“I am deeply humbled by the trust bestowed upon me to initiate this new chapter in our community. I’m also keenly aware of the significant responsibility and challenges. I stand before you ready to lead as Miami-Dade County Sheriff,” Cordero-Stutz said to cheers, moments after taking the oath of office.
The new sheriff bested Democrat James Reyes in the Nov. 5 election, winning 55% of the vote. She won the crowded Republican primary for the office with 25% of the vote, in large part thanks to an endorsement she received from President-elect Donald Trump.
READ MORE: Cordero-Stutz decisively wins Miami-Dade's first sheriff race in over 60 years
The dramatic shift in law enforcement for South Florida comes more than six years after statewide voters passed a constitutional amendment requiring that all counties have an elected sheriff, among other offices. Miami-Dade was the only county in the state that did not have an elected sheriff’s office.
Since 1966, the Miami-Dade Police Department has had an executive appointed by the county mayor and overseen by the county commission. Voters opted to do away with the office in 1966 due to a sprawling corruption scandal.
All these years later, corruption is still a concern. Cordero-Stutz cited political corruption and homeowner association corruption as top targets of her new administration, which has a nearly $900 million budget. The Miami-Dade Police Department’s budget for the corruption unit was severely slashed by then-Mayor Carlos Gimenez in 2013, and she ran on the promise of reinstating that funding. “The cornerstone of public safety,” she said, “is public trust.”
“I will designate all needed resources to weed out any and all forms of public corruption. The residents, businesses and institutions of our community deserve nothing less,” she said.
She spoke in broad terms about “schemes that prey on the vulnerability of our seniors and deceptive practices within community homeowners associations,” and promised to tackle those issues head on.
In the wake of the terrorist attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day, which left 14 dead, the new sheriff said safeguarding Miami-Dade County especially during large events will be a priority. The county will host seven soccer World Cup matches next year, bringing a global focus to the county that will be a top priority for the sheriff’s office.
“Miami-Dade will continue to be an idyllic venue for world class events, and terrorists and deranged [people] will continue to search for ways to strike the defenseless when they least expect it,” she said. “Therefore not only must we be alert and intensify our efforts, we must maintain a permanent vigilance with persistent innovation.”
Some aspects of the new job, like how residents in unincorporated areas will communicate with the newly established sheriff’s office instead of their district county commissioners, are yet to be known. Sheriff Cordero-Stutz told the packed crowd that she will be fanning out across Miami-Dade County in the coming weeks to better understand community needs and concerns.
“I look forward to frank conversations directed at improving the public safety of all communities. I understand that oftentimes one size does not fit all. We must have the flexibility to tailor those specific local into sound public safely practices,” she said.
The newly minted Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office is the largest law enforcement agency in the State of Florida, with over 3,000 sworn officers and over 1,000 civilian staff. That’s even larger than the Florida Highway Patrol, the state police force.
