Miami-Dade County Commissioner Vicki Lopez’s endorsement coalition is now more equipped with ladders and badges.
Three of South Florida’s most prominent public safety unions have thrown their support behind Lopez’s campaign to keep her District 5 seat at County Hall: Metro-Dade Firefighters IAFF Local 1403, Miami Beach IAFF Local 1510 and the Miami-Dade chapter of the Florida State Fraternal Order of Police.
They join the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, which backed Lopez last month, and collectively represent thousands of firefighters, paramedics, dispatchers, and law enforcement officers across the county.
“This endorsement is not given lightly — it has been earned,” Metro-Dade Firefighters Local 1403 wrote in its endorsement letter, citing Lopez’s record supporting firefighter staffing, health and wellness, and cancer-prevention efforts during her years in Florida’s Legislature.
“She recognizes that public safety requires serious leadership, smart investments, and a commitment to ensuring first responders have the resources they need to do their jobs safely and effectively,” said William McAllister IV, President of Local 1403. “We are proud to stand with her.”
The Firefighters of Miami Beach echoed that sentiment.
“Commissioner Lopez has already proven herself to be a strong advocate for public safety and for the firefighters who protect our community,” IAFF Local 1510 President Adonis Garcia said. “She supports first responders, prioritizes investments in public safety, and makes sure our residents feel safe and protected.”
Florida State Fraternal Order of Police District 6 Director Felix Del Rosario added, “Commissioner Lopez has shown strong leadership, a collaborative approach, and a genuine respect for the sacrifices made by law enforcement officers every day.”
Lopez called the endorsements especially meaningful “because they come from the people who are on the front lines of keeping our community safe.”
Others backing Lopez’s campaign include two Service Employees International Union chapters and all four Democratic members of the Miami Beach City Commission.
Lopez, a Republican, was appointed to the District 5 seat by her County Commission peers in November. She previously served in the Florida House after flipping House District 113 red in 2022. Before that, she was a Lee County Commissioner.
As a state official, she proved to be an adept lawmaker, passing 74% of the measures she sponsored between the 2023 and 2025 Sessions.
District 5 covers a sweeping swath of Miami-Dade, including the Miami neighborhoods of Brickell, Downtown and Little Havana, and the Miami Beach neighborhoods of South Beach and Mid Beach.
In the first quarter of 2026, she raised nearly $589,000 — more than eight times the haul of her lone challenger, Florida Highway Patrol trooper Joe Sanchez, a fellow Republican and former Miami City Commissioner who ran for Sheriff in 2024.
The Miami-Dade Commission and its elections are technically nonpartisan, meaning that unless another candidate files, the District 5 race will be decided in the Aug. 18 Primary.