Herald endorsement: Our choice for Miami-Dade County Sheriff | Opinion

By the Miami Herald Editorial Board

Updated November 2, 2024 11:41 AM

Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s candidates James Reyes, a Democrat, and Rosanna "Rosie" Stutz-Cordero, a Republican.

Editorial Board’s General Election Endorsements

In advance of the upcoming general elections on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, the Editorial Board interviewed and researched candidates to better understand their views on various issues and how their policies will affect their constituents. The goal is to give voters a better idea of who’s the best candidate for each race.

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Miami-Dade County will have a sheriff for the first time since 1966. In this partisan race, voters have two strong choices who bring different skills to a job that for almost 60 years belonged to an administrator chosen by the Miami-Dade mayor.

Republican Rosanna “Rosie” Cordero-Stutz, 55, is a 28-year veteran of the Miami-Dade Police Department, where she currently is an assistant director. She also was given the responsibility to oversee the Sheriff Internal Transition Team, handling the logistics of the department’s exit from the county government.

Democrat James Reyes, 47, is Miami-Dade’s public safety chief, overseeing the county’s police department, the fire department and the jail system with about 10,560 employees and an operating budget for fiscal year 2023-24 of more than $2 billion. He was first appointed by Mayor Daniella Levine Cava two years ago to run the county’s aging jail, which after years of overcrowding has been substantially cleared from federal oversight under his watch.

Both candidates have credentials but Reyes is the Herald Editorial Board’s choice because of his higher rank overseeing policing in Miami-Dade and, previously, as executive director at the Broward Sheriff’s Office, one of the largest in the nation. Reyes also vowed to take a more transformative approach to the job by cutting redundancies and administrative positions to put more cops on the streets.

Reyes has the support of Levine Cava and various elected Democratic officials and county commissioners, as well as the South Florida Police Benevolent Association (PBA), representing 7,500 officers in the region.

Cordero-Stutz says her experience working as an officer, then moving up the ranks to homicide detective and eventually assistant director, distinguishes her from her opponent who started his career as a Broward jail deputy. She has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump and U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, the previous county mayor, among many others

Candidate for Miami-Dade Sheriff James Reyes speaks with the Miami Herald’s Editorial Board at the Herald newsroom on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, in Miami, Fla. D.A. Varela dvarela@miamiherald.com

Reyes and Cordero-Stutz want to focus on funding a public corruption unit. And they want to bring more crisis counselors and other resources to tackle mental health situations that arise during arrests and have sometimes led to police shootings of victims, as well as helping police officers deal with mental health issues that arise from the pressures of their job.

Reyes wants to have a civilian oversight panel to issue recommendations on police misconduct cases. Cordero-Stutz wants a community board to serve as a liaison to the sheriff’s office, which feels more like a feel-good gimmick than a board with any true influence.

Reyes promises more transparency. He followed through on that when he decided that MDPD should release officers’ body camera footage before an investigation was complete of the Sept. 8 rough takedown of Dolphins’ wide receiver Tyreek Hill by police during a traffic stop.

Each candidate has some weaknesses.

The county’s unpreparedness in preventing the Copa America Final fiasco this summer, with fans without tickets crashing the security gates to get into the stadium, still hangs heavy on Reyes. He has vowed that sheriff’s deputies will be prepared for the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches in Miami, and we hold him to that.

For her part, Cordero-Stutz is grappling with being a law enforcement officer who has the backing of a former president who has been convicted on 34 New York state charges involving payoffs to a porn star and remains embroiled in various criminal trials, one in particular involving the Jan. 6, 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol by thousands of Trump supporters.

Approximately 140 police officers were assaulted at the Capitol. Cordero-Stutz said her “moral compass is to uphold the law” but added that without knowing the intent of those who participated, “I cannot say that people who broke in were all criminals,” adding she knew of some folks who who were at the protest-turned-riot. That namby-pamby response is not what we would expect from a leader who professes to uphold law and order.

With his substantial leadership experience and an outsider’s perspective, Reyes is poised to be a change agent while keeping county neighborhoods safe.

For Miami-Dade County sheriff, the Herald Editorial Board endorses JAMES REYES.

BEHIND THE STORY

Who decides the political endorsements?

In advance of local and state elections, Miami Herald Editorial Board members interview political candidates, as well as advocates and opponents of ballot measures. The Editorial Board is composed of experienced opinion journalists and is independent of the Herald’s newsroom. Members of the Miami Herald Editorial Board are: Amy Driscoll, editorial page editor; and editorial writers Isadora Rangel and Mary Anna Mancuso. Read more by clicking the arrow in the upper right.

What does the endorsement process look like?

The Miami Herald Editorial Board interviews political candidates to better understand their views on public policy and how their policies will affect their constituents. Board members do additional reporting and research to learn as much as possible about the candidates before making an endorsement. The Editorial Board then convenes to discuss the candidates in each race. Board members seek to reach a consensus on the endorsements, but not every decision is unanimous. Candidates who decline to be interviewed will not receive an endorsement.

Is the Editorial Board partisan?

No. In making endorsements, members of the Editorial Board consider which candidates are better prepared to represent their constituents — not whether they agree with our editorial stances or belong to a particular political party. We evaluate candidates’ relevant experience, readiness for office, depth of knowledge of key issues and understanding of public policy. We’re seeking candidates who are thoughtful and who offer more than just party-line talking points.

This story was originally published October 2, 2024 at 5:49 PM.