Miami Springs says farewell to its police chief. Parade sendoff with officers across county

Miami Springs Police Chief Armando Guzman unwittingly became the grand marshal in a surprise 1-mile parade held in his honor Wednesday morning as friends bade him farewell before he retires on Feb. 27.

“I thought they were taking me to lunch,” said Guzman, 67, who for the last nine years has led the historic three-square-mile town’s police force.

More than 100 police officers from Medley, Virginia Gardens, Sweetwater, Hialeah, Miami and other agencies cruised into the Miami Springs pool parking lot on motorcycles, and in patrol and armored SWAT vehicles to recognize their fellow law enforcement officer.

“It was a testament to how he impacted so many of his peers that came from all these different departments to honor his retirement,” Miami Springs Councilman Jorge Santin said. “At the time of his hire, it was a little contentious within the city’s own police department, residents and city officials because he was an outside hire.”

Founded in 1926 by aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss, the town that Miami Springs leaders have dubbed “Mayberry” exudes small-town charm. And in 2015, Guzman became its new “sheriff.”

Charged with running the city’s then 42-officer police force, with a nearly $6 million budget, Guzman took note of the town’s mission: “Celebrating our historic past. Enjoying our peaceful present. Embracing our promising future.”

Prior to his hire, Guzman was the public safety chief at Miami Dade College’s Kendall campus. Before that, he was a Miami police officer.

“He [Guzman] will make an excellent chief and you will do yourself and the citizens of Miami Springs proud by choosing him to lead your department into the future,” former Miami Police Chief John Timoney wrote in a reference letter.

Guzman’s office was in the two-story City Hall on Westward Drive, the city’s main street with a town circle and one traffic light.

From there, Guzman prioritized community policing with “coffee with a cop” get-togethers at a local java joint and by cheering stroller-pushing moms at a “run from the cops” race around the golf course.

He offered his officers training on how to handle autistic persons, the disabled, and those with serious mental illnesses.

While Guzman preferred to use carrots, he knew when to use a stick.

“I know I didn’t make everybody happy, but I did it the best for everyone overall,” Guzman said.

Firing officers, taking on adult district

Months after his 2015 hire, Guzman fired Miami Springs police sergeant Andres Quintanilla, a 16-year police veteran, after his arrest by the FBI on a federal corruption charge. Quintanilla, who had agreed to act as an escort during a purported 10-kilogram cocaine deal, was sentenced by a federal judge to nine years in prison.

In 2017, Guzman fired Miami Springs police officer Christopher Dweck after a hit-and-run driver smashed into his parked police cruiser on Northwest 36th Street. Dweck later tested positive for drugs.

A few years before Guzman’s arrival, Miami Springs annexed land across from Miami International Airport, created an “adult entertainment” district, and permitted 21 hotels, including an hourly motel.

Crime surged.

“Last time I checked, 40 percent of our calls for uniformed patrol are from the hotels, and 50 percent of our investigations are from the hotels,” Guzman told the Miami Herald. “Our number one area of issues and problems is the hotels.”

With a nod from Guzman, Miami Springs built 8-foot fences spanning five blocks to prevent pedestrians and vehicles from entering the city’s east side from Northwest 36th Street due to drug dealing, shootings, homelessness, and prostitution.

Then Guzman successfully lobbied leaders for more police.

Bolstering police force

Nothing underscored Miami Springs’ big-city crime woes like that of Guzman in 2016 hiring former Miami police officer, Eliezer Lopez, so he could work full-time on a federal money laundering task force.

Guzman also followed local tradition by hiring relatives of officers who had served on the force for decades, like the sons of beloved motorman Jeff Collins and former police chief Pete Baan.

Miami Springs credits Guzman for growing the department, which currently has 54 officers, and by increasing its budget 38 percent since 2015 to a current budget of $9,1677,085.

“I know I made it home every day because of you guys,” Guzman said.

The public is invited to honor Guzman at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 26, during the City Council meeting at City Hall, 201 Westward Dr.

Miami Herald contributor Theo Karantsalis, a retired librarian, worked with Armando Guzman at Miami Dade College from 2011 to 2015. Karantsalis filed a lawsuit against the City of Miami Springs, in 2008 and 2019, to improve disability access about town, including curb cuts, sidewalks, and parking at City Hall. A federal trial was held in 2022; the case is now before the federal appellate court.