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Who Will Become the County's Top Cop?

Voters to elect a sheriff for the first time in 60 years

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The long wait for Miami-Dade County’s first sheriff election in 60 years is officially over. With an Aug. 20 primary quickly approaching, voters are now faced with the challenge of making their decision. Pronto.

It’s no secret that this year’s partisan race is a stacked one; a June qualifying deadline put the final count at a whopping 15 candidates, including 11 Republicans and four Democrats.

Law enforcement consultant, author and 34-year police veteran Norm Stamper shared his recipe for selecting top law enforcement personnel:

“For me, there’s three learning domains. You must master them all: knowledge, skills, attitude.”

Stamper said research into potential candidates should be “scientific” and “disciplined.” For some, that includes looking into past records, a guide of which our content partner WLRN has already put together. For others, it may just be a matter of following the money.

Campaign Funds & Endorsements

Democrat James Reyes currently leads the race with a $709,000 war chest, most of which comes from the Miami-Dade Safe & Secure political action committee inherited from former candidate and police director Freddy Ramirez.

His campaign received $50,000 each from political committees tied to Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony and Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, both of whom have endorsed Reyes. Reyes has also received endorsements from several police unions, including the South Florida Police Benevolent Association (PBA).

The PBA endorsement drew criticism from candidates, including Ignacio Alvarez, who accused it of being “pre-picked” and “in Cava’s pocket.” PBA President Steadman Stahl has nevertheless defended the process, emphasizing that all candidates were interviewed beforehand. That is, all but John Rivera, a formerly ousted PBA president himself, as well as Democrat Rickey Mitchell and Republican Ernesto Rodriguez, who chose not to participate.

Reyes isn’t the only one who’s gotten endorsements from local leaders and politicians, however. Republican Rosanna Cordero-Stutz received backing from former Miami-Dade police director Juan Perez as well as U.S. Rep. and former Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, not to mention an often-touted nod from former President Donald Trump.

Cordero-Stutz, whose campaign is run by Gimenez’s son and daughter-in-law, has raised about $397,000, according to finances reported under her name and “Citizens for a Safer Community.”

Her high-profile endorsements could make Cordero-Stutz a potential frontrunner in the primary, but when it comes to money, other candidates have her beat. Republicans Jose Aragu and Joe Sanchez have raised $562,000 and $563,000, respectively. Aragu was trailing in funds up until last month, when billionaire hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin donated a whopping $300,000 to his political committee, Law & Order PAC.

Taking the Politics Out of Policing?

Though it’s certainly helped him become a top contender for the Democratic primary this month, Reyes’ proximity to Levine Cava has been used against him by opponents who believe an independent sheriff’s office should be free from politics.

It’s an odd characterization of a partisan office, soon to be held by an elected official, or politician. Notwithstanding party politics, Stamper reminds voters that “everything is political,” especially when it comes to “discretionary decision-making” affecting a community.

Despite being called an “import,” “bought and paid for by the mayor,” Reyes said he is proud to have Levine Cava’s support, noting that the transition to an independent sheriff’s office will require collaboration with the county administration. Levine Cava is also up for re-election this year.

“I think they might be naive to the fact that independent does not mean isolated … Every sheriff has to have a relationship with the commission and the county and their municipal mayors. Public safety is all of our responsibility. A sheriff in a silo cannot perform those duties and be successful at it,” he said.

Reyes still joined other candidates in highlighting the independence of the sheriff’s office from county administration as far as day-to-day operations are concerned, noting that it will be “its own mini government” with its own legal team and procurement policies.

Indeed, a sheriff’s office involves more than just policing. Whoever takes the role will have to be a leader, develop policy and codify best practices, as well as leverage political relationships and allocate resources. They’ll have an $867,000 budget and around 4,700 employees to manage.

Every person in the race has thus developed a way of arguing these capabilities exist within themself. Here’s more on each candidate running for sheriff.

Ignacio Alvarez (R)

Alvarez began his career in law enforcement as a police officer with the MDPD in the northwest district and retired in 2017 as the major of the special victims unit. He currently runs his own law firm, specializing in crisis management, white-collar investigations, criminal defense, civil and international litigation, municipal representation, governmental affairs and more.

Jose Aragu (R)

Aragu started his career in law enforcement 21 years ago as a dispatcher for the West Miami Police Department. Today, he’s the major of MDPD’s Midwest District.

Aragu wants to dispatch more police officers to a growing school system, reimplement D.A.R.E. to teach children about the dangers of gang violence and drugs, tackle homeowner association fraud, get rid of scooters and increase transparency in the police department.

John Barrow (D)

Born and raised in Miami Gardens, John Barrow is a major for MDPD’s personnel management bureau. He has served in the police department for 18 years and is endorsed by North Miami Councilman Scott Galvin.

His priorities include creating a unit of mental health clinicians to respond to calls relating to homelessness and addiction, introducing education and re-entry programs for incarcerated individuals to reduce recidivism, and implementing a community advisory council to help develop policy and procedure.

Rosanna Cordero-Stutz (R)

Born in New York, Cordero-Stutz is a 28-year member of the MDPD, currently serving as assistant director. She is a graduate of the FBI National Executive Institute and the FBI National Academy Associates, which she says has given her a national network of alliances to tap into as sheriff.

Cordero-Stutz was also tasked with leading the internal transition team in preparation for the independent sheriff’s office about a year and a half ago. She said it is a very complex job, which includes dealing with contracts, statutory requirements and inventory.

Ruamen DeLaRua (R)

City of Miami cop Ruamen DeLaRua has 42 years of law enforcement experience, including 26 years of experience with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office in central Florida, where he says he worked with budgets, court services, jail intake and training.

DeLaRua prided himself on being an outsider to the MDPD during a forum hosted by the Kendall Federation of Homeowner Associations in June, insisting it’s how he’ll be able to most effectively change the system.

Alex Fornet (R)

Born in New York, Alex Fornet had an early career in the technology and automotive industries before becoming an officer with the MDPD in 2007. He retired in 2020 and currently serves as a credit repair consultant for his own business.

Jeffrey Giordano (R)

Jeffrey Giordano is a 27-year veteran of the City of Miami Police Department, having retired in 2014 as a hostage negotiator. He is currently the president of a security company known as Giordano Protection Services.

Some of Giordano’s touted solutions as sheriff include working with the private sector to acquire shotspotters at schools in case of mass shootings, signing a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to enforce immigration laws, and incorporating artificial intelligence to assist investigators and predict future crimes.

Susan Khoury (D)

Former federal agent Susan Khoury believes she is the “outside candidate” who can reform the police department. She said she is basing her priorities off of the 2015 President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. She was also a frequent attendee of Miami-Dade County’s Independent Civilian Panel meetings.

Mario Knapp (R)

A 27-year veteran of MDPD, Mario Knapp retired in 2021 as major of the Special Patrol Bureau. He served as the operations commander during the Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside.

Knapp said he wants to create a sheriff’s office where police officers feel backed, so as to decrease the rate of early retirements.

Joe Martinez (R)

Former County Commissioner Joe Martinez threw his name in the bucket for sheriff less than two years after being removed from office by Gov. Ron DeSantis for an ongoing corruption case, which Martinez said has not affected his campaign at all.

A former police sergeant himself, Martinez said being a police officer “is not what (he) did, but who (he is).” He said his experience in county government will additionally give him an upper hand in negotiations.

Rickey Mitchell (D)

Mitchell is a 25-year veteran of MDPD, having retired as a lieutenant before opening up his own funeral home in West Little River. His campaign is largely self funded, with $275,000 donated from his own wallet.

Mitchell’s platform focuses on “community policing,” the topic of his PhD dissertation in 2005. He also supports metal detectors in schools.

James Reyes (D)

Reyes was recruited to the MDPD in January 2023, chosen to lead the county Corrections and Rehabilitation Department before becoming public safety officer in November. Before that, he spent 22 years at the BSO.

Reyes boasts his experience with the BSO, where he helped manage a more than $1 billion budget, as making him uniquely qualified for the job.

John Rivera (R)

John Rivera is a 40-year veteran of the MDPD and former president of the PBA, a role from which he was ousted following controversy related to his record of vehemently defending cops. Rivera said he wants to protect police officers and uplift morale, though he has no issue disciplining cops when needed.

Ernesto Rodriguez (R)

Rodriguez is a Cuban refugee who started his career with the MDPD in 1987. He currently serves as a police lieutenant.

His concerns involve human trafficking, premature resignations and stalled services due to excessive bureaucracy. He is critical of the current mayoral administration, accusing it of making deals to maintain control, and wants a restructuring of the department “from the top and from the bottom.”

Joe Sanchez (R)

Sanchez is a U.S. Army Reserves veteran, former Miami commissioner and current Florida Highway Patrol trooper, though he took a leave of absence from that role to campaign. He is also a former chairman of the Bayfront Park Trust and the Downtown Development Authority.

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