A South Florida police organization representing roughly 2,000 active officers and honorary retirees has thrown its support behind U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds in Florida's Republican gubernatorial primary, adding another law enforcement voice to a campaign already stacked with endorsements from sheriffs and police chiefs across the state. Donalds accepted the backing of the Hispanic Police Officers Association of Miami-Dade, a group founded in 1979, and said he will stand with the officers who protect Florida's communities.
The endorsement, first reported by the Tampa Free Press, cited Donalds' record of backing law enforcement and public safety initiatives across Florida. Association president Carlos Arguelles said Donalds is the right man for the job, crediting the congressman's consistent stance on law enforcement issues. Arguelles specifically pointed to how Donalds stood up for law enforcement during the COVID period and supported putting more boots on the ground at that time, according to the report.
A Coalition Years in the Making
The Miami-Dade group's endorsement adds to a law-and-order coalition Donalds has built over recent months, including a July 10 endorsement from the Florida Police Chiefs Association and backing from 41 Florida sheriffs, among them Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, according to Florida Politics. Judd highlighted Donalds' commitment to mandatory minimum sentences and law enforcement funding as part of that backing. The Hispanic Police Officers Association itself manages a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation established in 2008, part of an organizational history that stretches back nearly five decades.
Donalds said that if elected governor, he plans to ensure Florida law enforcement officers have the resources, support, and respect they need, and to keep Florida the safest state in the nation. He has also pledged to prioritize funding, support, and protection for law enforcement agencies statewide. Arguelles framed his group's decision around the idea that Donalds has remained consistent in his principles without wavering or shifting his views to fit the moment.
Establishment Support Piles Up Before the Primary
The law enforcement endorsements arrive as Donalds continues to consolidate support across Florida's Republican establishment. He has secured backing from the state's entire Cabinet — Attorney General James Uthmeier, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson — along with incoming Senate President Jim Boyd and House Speaker Sam Garrison, as reported by Florida Politics. That institutional muscle sits alongside a financial advantage that dwarfs his rivals: Donalds' campaign reported a war chest exceeding $81 million by June, a sum further boosted by a $10 million check from hedge-fund billionaire Ken Griffin to a supportive outside political committee.
Florida's closed Republican primary is set for August 18, with 12 candidates on the ballot including Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins, former House Speaker Paul Renner, and James Fishback, according to Ballotpedia. The state GOP opted not to hold primary debates after determining Donalds was the only candidate to meet its polling and fundraising thresholds, a decision that has drawn friction from his rivals. Former President Donald Trump's preemptive endorsement in February 2025 gave Donalds an early polling lead that he has never relinquished.
Not Everyone Is on Board
Despite the sweeping institutional support, outgoing term-limited Governor Ron DeSantis has held back from endorsing any candidate in the primary, publicly criticizing Donalds' policy views on property taxes even as Donalds has expressed confidence DeSantis will support him in the general election, per Florida Politics. Donalds has also had to publicly address youthful arrests from before he turned 21, for marijuana possession and bank fraud, after opponent James Fishback tried to raise them on the campaign trail. Donalds has said he owned up to his mistakes and turned his life around through faith and personal responsibility, according to FOX 13 Tampa Bay.
On the Democratic side, state Representative Dotie Joseph launched her campaign in June focused on housing affordability, while former Republican U.S. Representative David Jolly has emerged as a leading contender for the nomination, according to WJCT News. With less than two weeks until the Republican primary, Donalds' expanding roster of law enforcement endorsements signals an effort to lock down conservative turnout before turning attention to the general election.
