For the first time in almost 60 years, Miami-Dade County voters will choose a sheriff, a partisan position required by a 2018 voter-approved statewide constitutional amendment.
In the Aug. 20 Democratic primary, there are four sheriff candidates: Miami-Dade Public Safety Chief James Reyes; Miami-Dade Police Maj. John Barrow; former federal agent Susan Khoury and retired Miami-Dade Lt. Rickey Mitchell, who was not able to connect into the virtual meeting with the Herald Editorial Board and did not request a follow-up interview.
Reyes is supported by County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who selected him in December 2022 to run the county’s Corrections Department, which after years of overcrowding and various other problems, finally has been substantially cleared from federal oversight under Reyes’ leadership.
Levine Cava later promoted Reyes to the public safety position that oversees police, fire and the jail operations, strategically placing him to run for sheriff after former police Director Freddy Ramirez quit the race after he attempted suicide last year involving a domestic dispute and confrontation with police at a Tampa law enforcement convention.
The transition from a county-run department to an independent constitutional sheriff’s office will take about three years to complete. It requires a leader who understands both sheriff operations and how the county government will interface with the sheriff.
Reyes is best suited to fulfill that role, even though he lives in Broward County. He should move south if elected.
After almost two years in Miami-Dade government, he knows the concerns that each county commissioner has about public safety in their district, and also understands the challenges facing the police and corrections departments.
Reyes said he will work with county and municipal government officials to bolster community safety, form an independent public corruption group to investigate wrongdoing, push for more investment in technology, recruit ethical leaders and build public trust through partnerships with community groups.
