Each hat costs $132. The office described the hats as an optional addition to authorized uniforms, and said deputies can also choose not to wear a hat.

The purchase drew attention after a social media video showed deputies passing a hat among themselves, with Sheriff Rosie Cordero Stutz appearing at the end. In the video, she describes the hats as adding a sheriff’s style to the badge.

Some residents questioned whether the expense was appropriate. Miami-Dade voter Eliseo Abreus said he was disappointed as a taxpayer and longtime resident. Beatriz Morejon Paniaga, speaking in Spanish, said she recognized the cost but saw potential value if the hats help protect deputies.

Stedman Stahl, president of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, supported the purchase and called it part of the agency’s rebranding. He said the broader brim could provide more shade for deputies working outdoors, including those directing traffic in the heat, than a baseball cap.

The sheriff’s office said the hats do not require a new budget allocation and will be paid for with funds already set aside for uniforms. Cordero Stutz has also said the agency avoided about $4.8 million in costs by keeping its existing brown uniforms instead of switching to green. She said the hats fit within the annual uniform funds deputies receive.