The late Jimmy Ryce, the 9-year-old boy whose 1995 abduction and murder in Miami-Dade sparked sweeping national reforms in child safety and missing children's protections, will be honored on Friday with a street naming ceremony.
"This designation ensures that Jimmy's name, and the urgency of protecting our children, will always remain present in our community," Miami-Dade County Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins said in a statement announcing the ceremony.
"Jimmy's story is heartbreaking," she added. "By naming this roadway in his honor, we reaffirm our commitment to vigilance, advocacy, and the safety of every child in Miami-Dade County."
READ MORE: How Jimmy Ryce's Death Changed The Way We Treat Sex Predators
The Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved a resolution sponsored by Cohen Higgins to co-designate a portion of Southwest 162nd Avenue, between Southwest 232nd and Southwest 240th streets, as "Jimmy Ryce Avenue."
The ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. on June 5 at the intersection of Southwest 162nd Avenue and Southwest 240th Street.
Jimmy was kidnapped and killed in September 1995 near his Redland-area home. His case led Florida to enact the Jimmy Ryce Act, one of the nation's most aggressive laws targeting the civil commitment of sexually violent predators.
His killer, Juan Carlos Chavez, was executed in February 2014 after nearly two decades on death row.
Representatives of the Jimmy Ryce Foundation are expected to attend Friday's ceremony alongside county officials and community leaders.
