The Miami-Dade sheriff will ask Governor Ron DeSantis to compel the county to allocate an additional $42 million to the Sheriff’s Office, arguing that the $1.2 billion budget proposed by the county mayor is insufficient to meet the agency’s needs.
Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz announced on Friday night her intention to file this appeal with Governor Ron DeSantis and the state Cabinet, exercising a budgetary recourse granted to sheriffs under Florida law.
“Miami-Dade County does not have to choose between public safety and higher taxes or reduced services,” Cordero-Stutz stated. “Miami-Dade County can fully fund law enforcement without resorting to either of those options, and through this appeal, I will demonstrate exactly where savings can be found.”
The mayor and the sheriff are now set for a high-stakes dispute over a budget that takes effect October 1 and includes cuts to bus services to cover a revenue shortfall in the county’s transit system.
The appeal will be directed to the governor and the Cabinet, which comprises the state attorney general, the chief financial officer, and the commissioner of agriculture. This marks the latest clash between Mayor Daniella Levine Cava—a Democrat barred from seeking re-election due to term limits—and Cordero-Stutz—a first-term Republican expected to seek re-election in 2028.
Earlier this month, the two were involved in a public altercation hours after a cargo plane crash at Miami International Airport, when an open microphone captured the sheriff rejecting a request from a Levine Cava aide for the mayor to speak first at a press conference. If the appeal succeeds, Miami-Dade will be forced to revise its 2027 budget to comply with the Cabinet’s funding decision, drawing operating funds from the approximately $4.4 billion—derived primarily from property and sales taxes—that finance services such as police, jails, parks, and public transportation.
The county’s total budget stands at $14.3 billion, but this figure includes billions from Miami International Airport passenger fees, water and trash collection bills, and other revenue sources unavailable for funding general government services.
In her petition to Tallahassee, Cordero-Stutz demands more funding from property taxes—and county coffers—for public safety. She has dismissed warnings from other Florida sheriffs regarding how a state-level cut to such taxes harms public safety.
On Tuesday, Cordero-Stutz posted a message on social media supporting Amendment 3, the referendum championed by DeSantis to cut property taxes—a measure opposed by the Florida Sheriffs Association. Hours later, DeSantis posted his own message praising Cordero-Stutz for “calling out those spreading alarmism about Amendment 3.” Recently, Cordero-Stutz also hired Mark Glass, the governor’s top state law enforcement official, to fill the second-highest administrative role in her department.
During her budget presentation earlier this month, Cordero-Stutz explained to commissioners that she needed additional funds to recruit more officers, expand staff, and build new stations for the Sheriff’s Office. Their total request represented a 12% increase in tax funding for the Sheriff’s Office—double the 6% increase recommended by Levine Cava. The County Commission—with a Republican majority—approved Levine Cava’s plan for the Sheriff’s Office, to which approximately $12 million was added in the hours leading up to the final budget vote.
