Rosie Cordero-Stutz wins race for Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. (WSVN) – For the first time in six decades, Miami-Dade County voters have spoken and elected the Republican candidate to oversee the sheriff’s office.

On Tuesday, Rosie Cordero-Stutz was declared the winner of the race for Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office with 55% winning margin. Her Democratic opponent, James Reyes, ended up with 45% of the votes.

Cordero-Stutz is a current Miami-Dade Police officer who has served in top posts in several divisions in her 28-year career, having worked her way up from street cop to assistant director.

7News caught up with Cordero-Stutz making last-minute campaign stops on Tuesday morning in Doral and Sweetwater.

“I am the only police officer running for sheriff in Miami-Dade County. I am the only person that served as a police officer for 28 years, right here in this county. That’s important,” said Cordero-Stutz.

She said her 28 years career in MDPD is the key reason she should become sheriff over Reyes.

“I’ll serve this community like I have done so in the last 28 years. In a way that is for all of Miami-Dade County,” said Cordero-Stutz.

As for her Democratic opponent, Reyes thanked his supporters and issued the following statement on the results of Tuesday’s general election.

“My life’s work has been about public service and putting the community first, which is why I decided to run for Sheriff. Though tonight’s results are not what we worked so hard for or what we hoped, I am so grateful to my family, our dedicated campaign team, and our incredible volunteers who have done so much to fight for our shared vision of public safety and public trust.

After months on the campaign trail, I am looking forward to some much-needed time with my wife and kids, and to continuing my work as Miami-Dade’s Chief of Public Safety, helping to ensure our community has a smooth transition to the elected Sheriff next year. Finally, I want to send my sincere congratulations to our Sheriff-Elect, wishing her the best of luck in this crucial role. I look forward to working with her in pursuit of our shared commitment to keeping Miami-Dade County safe.”

James Reyes

Her plans as sheriff include focusing on the safety of the community and addressing how the department handles mental distress calls.