On the 20th anniversary of 9/11, Miami-Dade honors the heroes in remembrance ceremonies

Miami-Dade police and fire rescue departments joined with members of the U.S. Southern Command at Tropical Park Saturday morning in a remembrance ceremony for 9/11.

According to MiamiDade Police Det. Angel Rodriguez, the 20th anniversary remembrance was designed to pay tribute to the law enforcement officers and fire rescue crews who raced into the wreckage of the World Trade Center towers in New York that morning of Sept. 11, 2001.

“It is important that we remain united as a community, as a county, and a nation to send a strong message that, ‘We will never forget,’” Rodriguez said in a statement.

In her speech, MiamiDade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava paid tribute to the heroes of 9/11 and the South Florida rescue teams who responded to the collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside on June 24.

“These men and women who lost their lives were our friends, our spouses, our children, our parents. And at this defining moment of terror in our nation they made the ultimate sacrifice — to save lives, to protect their community and our nation’s freedom,” Levine Cava said.

“So, today, we all stand together to say we will never forget their lives and the legacy of heroism for all of those who died for us on 9/11. “And I

know as we are here together we are reminded of the bravery and the heroism of our own first responders — our own 9/11 — at Surfside almost three months ago, in which our firefighters rushed in to save lives and our police officers stood at the ready to serve and protect.

“So, just like this day 20 years ago in New York, these men and women ran into the rubble with a single and dedicated purpose: to save lives. You are truly our heroes, and for that I am honored to stand with you,” Levine Cava said.

At another local ceremony honoring the lives of 9/11 families, a group gathered at 1814 Brickell Park to pay tribute alongside a 15-foot-high concrete and steel sculpture designed by artist Christian Bernard that used steel from the World Trade Center. The work was commissioned by former Commissioner Marc Sarnoff and dedicated at the park in 2012.

SAM NAVARRO For the Miami Herald U.S. Southern Command commander Navy Adm. Craig Faller salutes after wreaths were presented during a 9/11 Ceremony of Remembrance at Tropical Park on Saturday.

SAM NAVARRO For the Miami Herald Members of the Miami-Dade Police Department Honor Guard hold the flags of the different United States Armed Forces.

SAM NAVARRO For the Miami Herald Lt. Walter Wray of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue rings a bell to conclude a 9/11 Ceremony of Remembrance at Tropical Park on Saturday.