Less than two weeks after Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez drops out of the 2024 county sheriff’s race, a new name is floated that immediately becomes a top contender if not the front runner: Former Miami Commissioner Joe Sanchez, a retired Florida Highway Patrol officer.
And judging by the email statement he sent over the weekend, he is going to position himself as the right wing Republican choice in what is more and more apparently going to be a hard partisan race.
“The policies advanced by the Democrats and their leftist supporters have resulted in American cities devolving into vandalism, anarchy, and chaos,” Sanchez wrote in an email delivered Saturday. “Miami-Dade residents want law and order and will not stand for that.
“As a 36-year law-enforcement veteran of the Florida Highway Patrol, as well as a local municipal official for 11, I know what it takes to keep our community safe.”
Read related: Freddy Ramirez suicide attempt leaves a real open race for Miami-Dade sheriff
Sanchez said he is “actively considering” the job after being encouraged by friends and supporters. “I got a lot of calls from a lot of people saying, ‘Hey, you have the experience and you also have the leadership,'” he told NBC6.
“It’s going to take someone to not only run a police department but also transition that police department from a Dade County police department to a sheriff’s office,” Sanchez said.
If he jumps in, he would join 10 other wannabes — seven fellow Republicans and three Democrats — who have opened campaign accounts. 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)
Ramirez dropped out last month after an apparent argument with his wife led to police handcuffing him momentarily and then him shooting himself in the car in his wife’s presence. Ramirez is still recovering.
Read related: First candidate for 2024 Miami-Dade sheriff’s race is Miami police officer
Mitchell has the most to spend, but that’s because he has loaned himself $275,000, according to the latest campaign reports, recording transactions through June. Knapp has reported raising $47,170 and de la Rua has raised $10,525. The others have not reported raising any funds yet.
There’s still plenty of time for more candidates to come to the surface and Ladra suspects that consultant Christian Ulvert, who was working on the Ramirez campaign, will find another candidate for this important race.
The Miami-Dade County sheriff’s primary is scheduled for Aug. 20, 2024 while the general election is Nov. 5, 2024.
Joe Sanchez could join clown car of Miami-Dade sheriff candidates for 2024 added by Ladra on
View all posts by Ladra →
