Miramar law enforcement veteran nominated to be Miami’s next city manager
Miami’s new mayor has nominated Miami-Dade’s public safety chief James Reyes, a longtime Miramar resident, to become Miami’s next manager, a job that comes with a nearly half a million dollar salary, the Miami Herald reported.
The offer letter to Reyes from newly elected mayor, Eileen Higgins, outlines a $475,000 salary, a city-provided vehicle and pension contributions valued at roughly 20% of his pay.
While the salary is lower than the $525,000 earned by outgoing City Manager Art Noriega, it would still place Reyes near the top of the region’s municipal pay scale, the Herald reported.
But first, Reyes must be approved by the Miami city commission, which is expected to vote Jan. 8 on his appointment and compensation package. Reyes’ residency could come into question.
Broward property records show Reyes owns a single-family home in the Villages of Renaissance. Reyes’ residency is not a legal obstacle to the appointment, as Miami’s city charter does not require the manager to live within city limits.
However, elected officials retain the authority to impose residency expectations or conditions as part of an employment agreement — an issue that has surfaced periodically in Miami city manager searches.
“My career in public service has been guided by a commitment to listening to our community, leading with integrity, and delivering results that make a real difference in people’s daily lives,” Reyes said in a city memo. “I look forward to working with the City Commission through the confirmation process and helping deliver results for residents while restoring trust in City Hall through transparent, accountable leadership.”
Reyes, a Cuban-American, has deep roots in Broward County. He spent decades of his career with the Broward Sheriff’s Office, where he served as a jail supervisor, director and senior administrator.
In 2022, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava recruited him to lead the county’s corrections department and later promoted him to chief of public safety .
Reyes became the Democratic sheriff nominee in 2024, and while campaigning, told reporters he would move to Miami-Dade if elected. He lost to Republican candidate Rosie Cordero-Stutz.
“This is home. It means the world to me to serve this community. I’m currently serving this community,” Reyes told WLRN in 2024. “And by the way, I live a stone’s throw away from the county line. I live as south in Miramar as you can live without being in Dade.”
After the election, Reyes remained with Miami-Dade as a top deputy in county government, expanding his portfolio to include social services.
Higgins, a former Miami-Dade commissioner who was elected earlier this month, praised Reyes’ administrative record in a memo announcing the nomination.
“James Reyes has proven he can modernize operations, accelerate service delivery and build cultures of excellence,” Higgins wrote, citing his role in bringing Miami-Dade jails into federal compliance after more than a decade of oversight.
While Reyes brings deep law enforcement and corrections experience, he has limited direct exposure to core city services such as housing, zoning, sanitation and parks — a point that some commissioners are expected to scrutinize during confirmation discussions, the Herald reported.
If confirmed, Reyes would take over as Miami’s top administrator Jan. 12. The married father of three grew up in Miami-Dade after emigrating from Cuba and graduated from Hialeah High School.
This story was originally published December 31, 2025 at 4:24 PM.
