They may put my name in the headlines, but this is not about one person. When people attack the integrity of this office or try to bully us into doing the wrong thing, they are attacking dedicated public servants who work every day for the people of Miami-Dade County.
They are attacking the single mother who arrives early to help residents before the doors open. They are attacking the sons and daughters who chose public service because they believe in their community. They are attacking the parents and grandparents who have spent years helping families, small businesses, and seniors navigate government with dignity and respect.
This team serves thousands of residents every day. They answer the phones, process transactions, resolve problems, and travel into neighborhoods to help people who cannot easily reach a government office. Their work may not always make the news, but it makes a real difference in people’s lives.
My responsibility is to protect the integrity of this office, defend due process, and stand up for the employees who serve our community honestly and professionally. I will never allow political pressure, threats, or intimidation to force our team to compromise its judgment or betray the public trust.
As I always have, I stand ready to defend our team and put the national security of the United States first. I have said it before, I say it today, and I will keep saying it: there is no place for fraud in Miami-Dade County.
When you illegally use a disabled parking permit and take a space from someone who needs it, we will be there to confront that abuse. Those permits serve a real need, and the people who depend on them deserve respect.
When you try to falsify an ID, use someone else’s identity, or submit fraudulent documents, we will be there to protect the integrity of the process. Every resident deserves to know that the same rules apply to everyone and that deception will not be rewarded.
When you cheat on a driver’s license exam, pay someone to take it for you, or help someone fraudulently bypass the requirements, we will be there. Those requirements exist to protect everyone on our roads: parents driving their children to school, workers heading home, and families sharing our streets.
And when you exploit residents by selling false promises, falsifying paperwork, or charging them for fraudulent services, we will be there to stand up for the people you are trying to hurt. We will document suspected wrongdoing, refer it to the appropriate authorities, and cooperate with lawful investigations. Accountability must be based on evidence, and everyone’s right to due process must be respected.
Wherever anyone seeks to profit from our people’s suffering, distort the facts for political gain, or spread lies to get their way, we will stand our ground. Our residents deserve public servants who have the courage to protect them and the integrity to uphold the law.
Cuba’s murderous communist and socialist dictatorship knows we have stood firmly against it, and we will continue to do so. No one will stop us from defending freedom through every lawful means within our authority. And to anyone in South Florida who participates in that regime’s illegal activities: we will push for credible allegations to be investigated and those responsible to be held accountable under the law. There will be no tolerance for fraud or for those who enrich themselves at the expense of our people’s suffering.
We welcome accountability and legitimate questions. We will answer them with facts, transparency, and results. But no one should mistake professionalism for weakness or public service for submission.
I am proud of this team of public servants, and I am grateful for the thousands of residents who place their trust in us every day. They are the strength of this office and the reason we keep moving forward.
We will stand together, serve with courage, and keep doing what is right for the people of Miami-Dade County. Our residents come first. They always have, and they always will.
We will not be intimidated, we will not look the other way, and we will never back down from protecting the people of Miami-Dade County.
Dariel Fernandez
Tax Collector
Miami-Dade County
