(WSVN) - In just a few days, Miami-Dade voters will be able to do something they haven’t done in decades: elect a county sheriff.
One of the two candidates running for the position is Republican nominee Rosie Cordero-Stutz.
She wants to make history in South Florida. She’s a native of New York City. She moved to Florida and started as a patrol officer on the streets of Miami-Dade in 1996.
She is currently overseeing Investigative Services for the Miami-Dade Police Department.
“I worked my way up the ranks in the past 28 years. I was an officer detective. I was a sergeant. I was a lieutenant, was a police major, police chief and my current rank of Assistant Director,” said Cordero-Stutz.
When it comes to endorsements, the lifelong registered Republican said she isn’t worried about not getting it from Miami-Dade County’s democratic mayor.
“I believe that the office of the sheriff needs to be independent and that the sheriff will report only to the citizens of this county,” said Cordero-Stutz.
But on her campaign website, she proudly touts endorsements from former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron Desantis, among other prominent Republicans and a couple of Democrats.
“People who really are saying ‘Rosie is someone who has got the capacity and the ability to do an excellent job as sheriff of Miami-dade,'” said Cordero-Stutz.
She said the transition from a police department to a sheriff’s department is a monumental one and that her vast experience in the department, in the community, and in leading the transition team are all critical differences between her and her Democratic opponent.
“I’ve been preparing for this and in that process when I realize we need someone who understands all this. We have to get this right. If we don’t get this right, we are in trouble,” said Cordero-Stutz.
Along with the safety of the community, she said she plans to address how the department handles mental distress calls.
“We currently have a pilot program where we have a co-responder model. We send highly trained officers alongside social workers to these crisis calls. We’re able to handle the crisis in a moment, but provide immediate support and referrals to the individuals and their families,” said Cordero-Stutz.
Whether it’s her decades working in Miami-Dade County or at the police department undergoing shift to the sheriff model, she said she is the right choice to be the county’s next sheriff.
“This is the one time we get to build this office from the ground up and it’s going to set the tone for the next 20, 30 years in Miami Dade County,” said Cordero-Stutz.
She said in the decades she has worked in various roles in the department, she has served the community with professionalism and steered clear of party politics. She said she will continue doing so if she is elected sheriff in November.
For a deep dive into Cordero-Stutz’s Democratic opponent, James Reyes, click here.
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