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Partial profile reviewed 2026-10-30. Not proof of an opening.

Application timing: The current MDSO careers pages provide a Deputy Sheriff Apply Here link to the County's applicant portal, but the portal requires a session and did not expose a public vacancy status during this review. Check the live portal before preparing an application. A November 2025 recruitment notice accepted up to 1,000 applications; that was a historical intake window, not confirmation that applications are open now. Scope: Deputy Sheriff. Checked 2026-10-30. Current official notice ↗

Minimum requirements

• MDSO lists age 20 at application and 21 at hire, U.S. citizenship, a high-school diploma or equivalent, and a valid driver's license. Out-of-state candidates must obtain a Florida driver's license upon acceptance; county residency is not required.
• Applicants need at least one listed education or experience pathway: an associate degree or 60 college credits; two years of active or reserve military duty; three years of consistent post-high-school experience; or one year of full-time sworn law-enforcement experience.
• MDSO lists CJBAT for non-certified applicants, a background investigation including drug testing, a physician's physical examination, and a Job-Related Task Assessment at the Sheriff's Training Center. Review the full current MDSO instructions for disqualifiers and the exact route-specific steps.
• Florida law provides a basic-abilities-test exemption for honorably discharged veterans and people with an accredited associate degree or higher; verify how MDSO applies the exemption to the current application.

Selected requirements, not a complete eligibility or disqualifier checklist.

Lateral entry

Separate lateral requirements and training arrangements need confirmation.

Recruiting contact

MDSO Human Resources recruitment contact listed in the County's deputy recruitment notice · 305-471-1945

Hiring outline

1. Open the current MDSO careers page, select Deputy Sheriff, and check whether the linked County application portal is accepting applications. Ask MDSO Human Resources to confirm the intake window and applicable route before relying on an older recruitment notice.
2. Complete the required tests and selection steps listed for your route, including CJBAT when applicable, the background investigation and drug testing, medical exam, and Job-Related Task Assessment. MDSO says selection may take about nine months to one year.
3. Non-certified applicants selected for MDSO's Deputy Academy attend at the Sheriff's Training Center. MDSO describes the academy as approximately 770 hours over about nine months. Florida academy graduates who pass the State Officer Certification Examination are considered eligible to be certified and still attend the MDSO training-center academy; out-of-state officers are treated as non-certified for Florida training.
4. A self-sponsored academy does not guarantee MDSO hiring. Confirm the current route, testing order, and academy details with MDSO before paying for outside training.

Physical testing

MDSO lists a Job-Related Task Assessment (JTA) at the Sheriff's Training Center, but the current public MDSO page does not publish the event sequence or passing standard. Request the current JTA instructions from recruiting. Miami Dade College's separate academy PAT is not a substitute unless MDSO confirms it accepts that test.

Benefits

MDSO's careers page lists medical coverage, retirement-plan options, paid leave, and other benefits. Confirm current eligibility, contribution, and pay terms in the active posting and benefit materials.

Hiring incentives

Availability and terms need confirmation.

The FY 2026–27 County budget funds 80 additional sworn positions plus 120 civilian positions and addresses approximately 300 MDSO vacancies reported as of June 2026. Those are funded/planned positions and vacancies, not completed hires or proof of an active public application. The 100 graduates in two 2026 classes are historical hiring evidence, not a guarantee of future classes or selection. Check the live County portal and complete MDSO instructions before applying.

No test preset is imported from this profile. Bring current employer instructions to your preparation.

County employer, separate from Miami Police Department. The old county police-careers URL redirects to the sheriff's current site. Current pay amount, ordered selection sequence, test standards and a specific vacancy/deadline are not verified; use the actual deputy announcement.