Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Joe Sanchez announces run for Miami-Dade Sheriff
MIAMI - A new contender is jumping into the race for Miami-Dade County Sheriff in 2024.
Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Joe Sanchez announced Tuesday that he's filed to run.
"As a longtime resident of Miami-Dade and a law enforcement professional, I am excited about this
opportunity to serve the community that has given my family and I so much," said Sanchez. "If elected, I
look forward to serving all the residents of Miami-Dade County, while ensuring we keep our streets and
communities safe."
Sanchez said in a statement that he's stepping away from the FHP while he campaigns.
"I believe in transparency, and it is not appropriate for law enforcement officers to be campaigning while on the taxpayers' dime," he said in the statement. "I ask all the candidates who are currently working in any capacity for a federal, state, county or municipal law enforcement agency, to follow my lead and take a leave of absence immediately."
A resident of Miami-Dade for 52 years, Sanchez is a proud graduate of Miami Senior High School and Miami Dade College.
He served eight years in the Army Reserves and 11 years as a city commissioner. He joined the FHP in 1987.
In 1996, he was awarded a Medal of Valor by the county for his leadership as a member of the Value Jet Search and Recovery Team that participated in the search for the victims of the Everglades plane crash.
There are at least a dozen other candidates in the race including longtime PBA President John Rivera, former Miami-Dade police Major Ignacio "Iggy" Alvarez, and former federal agent Susan Khoury.
Currently, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava wields the power of sheriff in the county because Miami-Dade County is the only one in Florida where the mayor has dual responsibility. In other counties, the sheriff is an independently elected position.
A constitutional amendment required that Miami-Dade elect a sheriff this year. The county has not had an elected sheriff since 1966 when the position was eliminated as a result of a wide-ranging corruption scandal.
The primary election for the post is scheduled for Aug. 20, which will be followed by the general election on Nov. 5, 2024.