What this office does
The Sheriff leads the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office (MDSO), which provides municipal-style police services across unincorporated Miami-Dade and the cities that contract with the county for policing, in addition to countywide functions like courthouse security and police operations at PortMiami and Miami International Airport. It is one of the largest sheriff's offices in the southeastern United States, operating out of eight district stations.
How the office works
The Sheriff is elected countywide to a four-year term. Miami-Dade elected a Sheriff for the first time in nearly 60 years in November 2024, after Amendment 10 to the Florida Constitution required charter counties to have an elected sheriff. Until then, the county's police chief was appointed rather than elected, and the department was known as the Miami-Dade Police Department. It formally became the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office on January 7, 2025, when the elected Sheriff took office; the full transition of remaining functions, including some jail and corrections responsibilities, is expected to continue through 2028 under state law.
Current officeholder
Rosie Cordero-Stutz, a Republican, became Miami-Dade's first elected Sheriff and the first woman to hold the post when she won the November 2024 election and took office January 7, 2025, also making her the first Hispanic woman elected sheriff in Florida history. Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in New York City, she holds a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Marist University and a Master of Public Administration from Florida International University. She spent 28 years with Miami-Dade Police, rising from patrol officer in 1996 through sergeant, lieutenant, major, division chief, and assistant director before her election.
Official Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office website ↗