For the first time in nearly 60 years, there'll be a new sheriff in town in Miami-Dade.
Voters in the county will head to the polls on Aug. 20 to select the Republican and Democratic Miami-Dade Sheriff candidates who will face each other in the General Election on Nov. 5.
Before those votes, here's a look at the history of the sheriff's position in Miami-Dade and why it's coming back.
The Hurricane season is on. Our meteorologists are ready. Sign up for the NBC 6 Weather newsletter to get the latest forecast in your inbox.
History of the Miami-Dade Police
Dade County was established in 1836 and originally was policed by as few as three deputies on horseback.
The county's sheriffs were initially appointed by the governor until 1899, when the office of the sheriff became an elected position.
Local
Miami-Dade's Last Sheriff
Talmadge "T.A." Buchanan is the last person to serve as Miami-Dade sheriff, from 1962 to 1966.
Amid corruption allegations, Buchanan was forced out of the position. He was later indicted but never convicted.
But the corruption allegations were enough for voters to pass a referendum abolishing the sheriff’s office that same year, 1966.
Since then, the head of the department has been an appointed position, currently with the title of "police director."
Miami-Dade Police in Present Day
What started with a few officers on horseback is now a department with more than 3,100 officers and nearly 1,500 civilian staffers.
In fact, the Miami-Dade Police Department is now the largest department in the southeastern U.S. and 8th largest in the country.
But until this year, Miami-Dade has operated as the only one of Florida's 67 counties to not have an elected sheriff.
Why is the Sheriff's Job Coming Back?
On November 6, 2018, Florida voters adopted Amendment 10 to the State Constitution, which prohibits counties from abolishing certain local offices, including sheriff, and requires elections for the offices.
As a result of Amendment 10, effective Jan. 7, 2025, there will be a total of five constitutional offices operating in Miami-Dade, all of which will be run independently from county government.
The offices include the sheriff, the supervisor of elections, the property appraiser, the tax collector, and the clerk of the court and comptroller.
In the Aug. 20 Primary, there are currently 11 Republican candidates and four Democratic.
