MIAMI - The Miami-Dade County Police Department will soon have the first black director in its history, a 28-year veteran of the force who said he will work to improve community relations.
On April 1, Assistant Director Robert L. Parker will replace outgoing Director Carlos Alvarez, who is retiring to run for county mayor, County Manager George Burgess said Wednesday.
Parker's appointment is expected to be approved by county commissioners on April 13. County Mayor Alex Penelas, who is running for U.S. Senate, endorsed the choice, as did John Rivera, president of the county Police Benevolent Association, representing rank-and-file officers.
Parker began with the department as a police officer in 1976 and rose through the ranks.
109-year-old man dies
CAPE CORAL - A 109-year-old Cuban-American man, one of the oldest people living in Florida, has died, his family said.
Gaspar Diaz died Sunday at a daughter's house. Born Jan. 18, 1895, Diaz had been the wealthy owner of a jewelry business in Cuba until the stock market crash in 1929 and later worked as a jack-of-all-trades. In the 1950s he moved to Queens, N.Y. He lived on his own until he was 104 and his three daughters persuaded him to join them in Florida.
