Former PBA chief John Rivera wants to be the Miami-Dade sheriff now, too

A third name in a week was added to the long list of candidates who could run for Miami-Dade sheriff in 2024: Former and longtime PBA President John Rivera.

His announcement came on the heels of two other big hitters: former Maj. Ignacio “Iggy” Alvarez filed papers last week and former FHP Trooper and Miami Commissioner Joe Sanchez said he was seriously considering it after much encouragement.

With a career in law enforcement spanning more than four decades, Rivera — who has also been president of the Florida State Police Benevolent Association — says he knows what it will take to guide the Miami-Dade Police Department through a successful transition to a sheriff’s office.

His slogan represents not only his physical size but also his leadership experience: “A big man for a big job.”

Rivera says it is his career-long dedication to the citizens of Miami-Dade, recent developments in the Police Department, and the urging of national and local leaders, community members, police officers, friends, and family, that solidified his decision to run.

“I have a deep love for Miami-Dade and its residents,” Rivera said last week in a statement. “This county has given me so much, and I want to continue to give back. I’m ready to work with every community and political stripe to lead the Miami-Dade County Police through this critical transition and into the next decade.”

According to a press release, Rivera’s platform focuses on guiding the department through the transition, “while continuing to make Miami-Dade a safer and equitable place for all.” He wants to improve police-community relations, root out public corruption, increase transparency and accountability, assure animal defense, protect our elderly, stop auto theft, combat HOA and Condo board fraud, and modernize the department’s technology and training. He says he will champion environmental justice and ensure civilian rights.

“I will not allow Miami Dade to deteriorate like so many other places. Here you and your loved ones will be safe on my watch”, Rivera is quoted as saying. He’ll say a lot of that kind of thing on the campaign.

During his time as head of Florida’s largest law enforcement union, Rivera negotiated several contracts with state, county, and municipal governments, dealing with line-by-line budgets to fund effective policing. He helped write and pass municipal, county, and statewide legislation that made communities safer not just in Miami-Dade but across Florida.

But, as the longest serving president of the PBA (from 1993 to 2018), he has more experience fighting for the safety of salaries and benefits than the safety of the community –although one could say it’s the same thing.

Rivera also has experience working with local, state, and federal governments. The White House selected Rivera as a speaker at the National Executive Session of Policing and Public Safety, sponsored by the Harvard Kennedy School on Leadership and Law Enforcement. And he was appointed by two Governors to serve as a Commissioner on the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission, overseeing the certification of all sworn law enforcement personnel in the State of Florida. He’s also served as a member of the Task Force on Performance and Efficiency in Miami-Dade County Government.

More importantly for the campaign, he is super comfortable on Cuban radio and local news TV shows and hosted the local Rapid Response Radio Show on 880 The Biz. The debates are going to be epic.

Rivera joins a long list of wannabes for the first sheriff’s race in Miami-Dade since the 1960s, when voter abolished it after some corruption scandal. ¡Pero por supuesto! Florida voters statewide reversed that decision with a 2018 vote to reinstate the Miami-Sheriff. The growing list of candidates is now 13 hopefuls long. They are:

Miami-Dade Police Maj. John Barrow (D)
Former federal agent Susan Khoury (D)
MDPD Lt. Rickey Mitchell (Ret.) (D)
Jaspen Bishop of Homestead (R)
Miami Police; Marion County Sheriff’s Office District Comm. Ruamen Delarua (Ret.) (R)
MDPD Reserve Ofc. Alex Fornet (Ret.) (R)
MDPD Maj. Mario Knapp (Ret.) (R)
MDPD Sgt. Orlando Lopez (R)
MDPD Ofc. Ernie Rodriguez (Ret.) (R)
MDPD Ofc. Rolando Riera (R)
Former Miami Commissioner and FHP Trooper Joe Sanchez (R)
Former MDPD Maj. Ignacio “Iggy” Alvarez
Former PBA President John Rivera

This election is Nov. 5, 2024.

John Rivera

Former PBA chief John Rivera wants to be the Miami-Dade sheriff now, too added by Ladra on October 10, 2023
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