Miami-Dade to elect sheriff after 60-year hiatus. How will it work?

Miami-Dade voters will elect a sheriff to run the police department for the first time in 60 years.

Why it matters: The new top cop will oversee one of the largest law enforcement agencies in the U.S.

• MDPD has a $1 billion budget and over 5,000 employees, per the Miami Herald. 

Flashback: The Miami-Dade sheriff's office was eliminated in 1966 after the last sheriff, Talmadge "T.A." Buchanan, was indicted for perjury and failure to disclose campaign contributions, per the Herald.

• The idea was to eliminate the politics that often got in the way of electing a sheriff, the Herald reported.
• A 2018 state amendment forced Miami-Dade to bring the position back, along with other constitutional offices.

Who's running: Republican Rosie Cordero-Stutz, the assistant director of the Miami-Dade Police Department, faces Miami-Dade public safety chief James Reyes, a Democrat.

Cordero-Stutz, a 28-year veteran of MDPD, has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump and other national Republicans.

• She has worked her way up from a street cop to detective, and eventually to assistant director overseeing Investigative Services.

Reyes worked at the Broward County Sheriff's Office for 22 years, beginning with a brief stint on street patrol before taking on administrative leadership positions.

• Mayor Daniella Levine Cava hired him to run the Miami-Dade Corrections Department in 2022.

• A year later, Levine Cava promoted Reyes to public safety chief overseeing the county's police, Fire Rescue and Corrections departments. She has endorsed his campaign for sheriff.

How it works: On Jan. 7, 2025, the Miami-Dade Police Department will transition into the Office of the Sheriff of Miami-Dade County.

• The Sheriff's Office will provide police services to unincorporated Miami-Dade County and contracted municipalities, per a county memo.
• The county will enter into an agreement with the sheriff to "ensure the effective transfer of resources and support services" through the end of the transitional period in 2028.

What we're watching: The County Commission must still decide whether the new sheriff will oversee the jail system, too, per the Herald.