MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Rosie Cordero-Stutz was the first person in more than six decades Tuesday to be sworn in as Miami-Dade County sheriff.
The ceremony was held at 10 a.m. at the Miami Dade College School of Justice.
“I am deeply humbled by the trust bestowed upon me to initiate this new chapter in our community,” Cordero-Stutz said. “I am also keenly aware of the significant responsibility and challenges. I stand before you ready to lead as Miami-Dade County sheriff.”
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After years of county policing being in the hands of the mayor, voters decided in 2018 to reinstate the office.
Additionally, Cordero-Stutz confirmed to Local 10 News after her election win that with the new office will come a new name: The Miami-Dade Police Department will become the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.
From patrol unit decals to uniforms and business cards, there will be a taxpayer cost to the transformation. Cordero-Stutz said she’s still tabulating the figures.
Cordero-Stutz was endorsed by President-elect Donald Trump during her campaign.
The Republican candidate brought in 56% of the vote over her opponent, Democrat James Reyes.
“First and foremost is ensuring that we have the right budget to serve this community from day one,” she said after her win.
Cordero-Stutz, who most recently served as the Assistant Director of Investigative Services at the Miami-Dade Police Department, began her career at MDPD as a police officer nearly 30 years ago, working her way up from a patrol officer and working on everything from robbery cases to homicides.
“Ultimately, this community recognized that experience matters,” she said when asked why she thinks the voters chose her.
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The position of sheriff returned to Miami-Dade following the passage of Amendment 10 in 2018.
The amendment reinstated sheriff’s offices in Florida counties where the role had been eliminated or absorbed into other governmental structures.
In Miami-Dade, voters abolished the position in 1966 after widespread corruption scandals, replacing it with an appointed law enforcement leader.
During the ceremony, her husband, retired Miami-Dade police officer Kurt Stutz, pinned the official sheriff’s badge onto her uniform. The Miami-Dade Police Department flag was retired, and the sheriff’s flag was unveiled and raised in its place.
“I really felt the joy of stepping into the role of sheriff and seeing my friends and family and the joy in their faces,” she said. “My primary goal is to listen to what my community is asking.”
First on the list for Cordero-Stutz as she takes on her new role is putting more uniformed officers on the street, tackling corruption among elected leaders, and restructuring and expanding Miami-Dade’s Traffic Unit.
“One of the things I really want to do is make sure that I will make good on those promises,” she said last year.