For the first time in six decades, Miami-Dade County has a new sheriff: Rosie Cordero-Stutz.

Republican Cordero-Stutz defeated Democrat James Reyes by a convincing margin of 55 percent to 44 percent on Tuesday night, according to the latest results. He will begin work on January 7, 2025, with responsibility for policing all of Miami-Dade County.

His election marks the first time Miami-Dade has had an elected sheriff since the early 1960s. For the past six decades, the county’s chief of law enforcement has served as an appointed police chief. But a state ballot initiative in 2018 now requires all Florida counties to elect sheriffs as well as some other government positions.

As sheriff, Cordero-Stutz will also be a law enforcement boss who is far more powerful and autonomous than the police chiefs under the supervision of Miami-Dade’s county commissioners.

Cordero-Stutz told supporters at her campaign victory party at the EB Hotel in Miami Springs.

“The message to all citizens of Miami-Dade is clear: Miami-Dade stands strong when it comes to the importance of law and order…make no mistake. My commitment is solely to the city and the protection of its residents in Miami-Dade County.”

Cordero-Stutz has been with the Miami-Dade police department for nearly 30 years. He is currently the deputy chief of the Miami-Dade Police Department and head of the Sheriff’s Internal Transition Team.

His campaign has received support from many prominent Florida Republicans, including former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis. He also has the support of the state’s 27 current county sheriffs.

He thanked those supporters during the vigil party, as well as other Florida Republicans like U.S. Sen. Rick Scott and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio.

“Thank you for your faith and thank you for your trust in me,” he said. “As I’ve said before, I never expected to run for any political position. Let’s just say, my political connections were limited when I started this campaign. But I am deeply grateful to the many politicians who have stepped up to support me.”

Before the election, Cordero-Stutz discussed his top priorities as sheriff on WLRN. He listed community mental health, increased police presence and traffic enforcement among the concerns he wants to address.

“There is also an expansion of the corruption unit,” he said. “Not just the traditional political corruption that most people know about, but also the fraud associated with homeowners associations.”

Reyes is Miami-Dade’s current chief of public safety. He previously spent a year as director of the county’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and served in various leadership roles in the Broward Sheriff’s Office for 22 years.

“Obviously I will still be the chief of public safety and I will assist in any way I can to ensure a successful transition,” he told WLRN at a voting center in Overtown on Tuesday afternoon.

He will work alongside Cordero-Stutz in his new role in 2025.

“Public safety has been near and dear to my heart for twenty-five years, and I will remain committed to that: I am committed to this community and committed to helping it in any way I can.”

His main ally in this race has been current Miami-Dade mayor Daniella Levine Cava; his landslide victory in the August primary gave him another term as district leader.

He also received endorsements from several county commissioners and the South Florida Police Benevolent Association.

Miami-Dade’s new sheriff have control over The county police department’s budget provides police services to unincorporated parts of the county and municipalities that choose to contract with the office.

Corruption scandal in 1966 disbanding the sheriff’s departmentafter the office was revealed to have accepted bribes, protected illegal gambling operations and engaged in extortion.

In the summer of 2023, it seemed almost likely that then-Police Chief Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez III would run for the job with the support of Mayor Levine Cava.

His bid for sheriff ended after he attempted suicide in July 2023. survived and Returned to Miami-Dade Police As a senior advisor, he is guiding the transition to the sheriff’s office.

His absence has created a void, with more than a dozen candidates lining up for the primaries.

Without any attendant, primaries were tough – While Reyes beat the other Democrats by a significant margin of 46%, Cordero-Stutz ran against ten other Republican candidates and won with just under 25% of the vote.