The first and highest duty of any government is public safety. Every year, Miami-Dade County sets its budget guided by its priorities. Consider that in Miami-Dade County, a park attendant can make roughly over $78,000. Yet, Deputy Devin Jamarillo was making $77,400 when he was murdered in the line of duty. Detective Cesar “Echy” Echaverry Jr. was making $83,127 when he was murdered in the line of duty. Thousands of men and women put on a badge, and selflessly go out every day and face danger, despite knowing that they may not come home at night. 

We are grateful to the parks employees, bus operators, sanitation workers, and the many county public servants who perform important roles in our community. Frontline public safety carries a different level of risk and sacrifice. Salaries should reflect that.

Miami-Dade must be fully intentional about public safety. We should at least be funding the basic requirements of a successful public safety operation: ensuring enough deputies, providing competitive pay and proper equipment, while training for readiness.

Today, the clearest need is for Miami-Dade Sheriff’s deputies to receive more competitive salaries. For years, Miami-Dade didn’t hire enough deputies. Now, the county is trying to catch up in a difficult hiring market. Other jurisdictions pay more, offering safer or less complex working environments. Hiring and retaining law enforcement officers is now at a premium. 

Miami-Dade presents an even more difficult challenge. We ask our deputies to serve one of America’s largest and most demanding metropolitan counties, with global events and tourism, unincorporated communities, major traffic corridors and countywide responsibilities, while paying them less. 

Some may argue that academy classes have not produced enough graduates to keep pace, or that the total compensation package is already competitive. But, deputies can’t pay their rent with a benefits package. They pay the bills with the check that hits their bank account. Competitive pay strengthens recruitment, improves retention, and reduces the loss of trained deputies leaving to neighboring communities.

Every time a trained deputy leaves for a higher-paying agency, we lose around $40,000 on recruiting and training them. Then, the work of every vacancy left unfilled doesn’t disappear. It just piles onto the deputies who remain, wearing them down shift after shift. Police officers are already exposed to a high degree of mental stress. Not having enough deputies increases burnout rates and overtime costs.

According to MDSO, trainee pay is $51,370. Starting this October, deputy pay is listed at $66,444. MDSO is at the bottom for both trainee and sworn deputy pay, behind places such as City of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Broward, Palm Beach, Orange, Hillsborough, and Jacksonville. 

The Sheriff’s office has already done more with less, lowering crime rates by 22%. But borrowed time runs out. This is not a sustainable model. More importantly, it’s not fair to the deputies putting their lives on the line every day, or to the residents counting on them.

After almost 60 years without an elected sheriff, Miami-Dade residents voted for a change in direction because public safety deserves direct accountability. Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz and the County Commission answer to the people. That structure should be respected.  

If any sheriff asks for luxuries, the answer should be no. However, the Sheriff’s office needs deputies, competitive pay and resources that affect readiness. Therefore, the answer should be a resounding yes. Our priority should be clear, even if funding for essential public-safety services comes from elsewhere in the budget.

As Chair of the County Commission Safety and Health Committee, I have seen how our corrections department came out from under a federal consent decree after increasing staff and resources. The same logic applies to the MDSO.

We ask our deputies to face extraordinary risks daily. It is our obligation to use our tax dollars to provide them with the tools they need to keep us safe. Public safety always comes first. In this budget, Miami-Dade County must prove it.

Roberto J. Gonzalez is a Miami-Dade County commissioner representing District 11. He serves as the Chairman of the Safety and Health Committee.