Let’s make it an even dozen.
Attorney Ignacio “Iggy” Alvarez, who started his career with the Miami-Dade Police Department, is the latest and 12th candidate to jump into the 2024 county sheriff’s race.
Alvarez was at the county police force for 25 years, retiring as the major of the special victims unit in 2017. During his eight-year tenure as major, Alvarez assumed a wide array of managerial positions, commanding investigative units and police districts, serving as the town chief in Miami Lakes, and overseeing traditional sheriff services such as court security and warrants bureau.
While he worked full time, he earned a master’s degree in criminal justice from Florida International University and a Juris Doctorate from Nova Southeastern University. His law firm specializes in crisis management for civil and criminal matters, sensitive internal corporate and white-collar investigations, corporate governance and compliance, complex civil litigation, and political advocacy.
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“Leveraging years of in-depth experience in both law enforcement and his legal practice, Alvarez is uniquely equipped to usher in this new era of policing in Miami-Dade County,” says a press release announcing his candidacy. “His time in the police force taught him effective crime reduction and equitable management strategies, while his legal career provided the tools to introduce fairness throughout the criminal justice system.”
Judging from his initial statement, Alvarez will prioritize expanding the police department — recruiting additional officers — reducing response times, increasing the closure rate for investigations and being accountable to county residents.
“It’s been nearly 60 years since the sheriff’s position was abandoned due to corruption, leading to policing managed by the county mayor,” Alvarez said in a statement. “Now, law enforcement will be directly accountable to the elected sheriff, unfiltered by political agendas, who must provide all of our different communities fairness, equality, and accountability.
“This is more than just a position for me,” Alvarez said. “This community is my home; it’s where I grew up and where my family resides. We live in a challenging period, evident in the national calls for police reform and de-funding the police. Miami-Dade has its own unique set of challenges and past experiences, but the objective remains the same: fair and equitable policing for all our diverse communities.
“I’m committed to ensuring that the hard-learned lessons of our past continue to mold and guide the next generation of law enforcement officials,” said Alvarez, who filed the initial paperwork Monday morning.
Read related: Freddy Ramirez suicide attempt leaves a real open race for Miami-Dade sheriff
He’ll have to beat at least 10 other candidates so far — 11 if you include former Miami Commissioner Joe Sanchez — to do so. Alvarez will be among the top contenders in the bunch, which 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 Ofc. 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)
Off the list: Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez, after a domestic incident at a Tampa hotel led to a suicide attempt in his car next to his wife, suspended his campaign last month. Once the favorite for the job, his withdrawal leaves a void for high-profile candidates like Alvarez to fill.
Alvarez told Ladra he’d been mulling the run over all summer long, as he searched and waited for a Republican to support. He couldn’t find one.
“And this is such an important race,” he said. “This person will not only lead the sheriff’s department for the first time in 60 years, but they will set the direct of the department for the next 10, 20 or 30 years.
“We need someone who is ready on Day 1,” Alvarez told Political Cortadito.
Alvarez said that if he wins the race, he will step down from his law firm and hire someone to manage it in his absence.
Records with the Florida Division of Elections show that he opened a political action committee, Law Order, Justice and Integrity, in July. The first campaign finance report is due next week.
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