October 2026 Employees of the Month: MDSO deputies help lost elderly traveler get back on track

When Aztmy Garcia couldn’t reach her 83-year-old father on his cell phone during his connection at Miami International Airport between the Dominican Republic and Philadelphia, she began to worry and called the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office (MDSO) Airport Bureau. Panicked and in tears, she spoke to MDSO Deputy J. Hibbert, who immediately asked for a photo of her father so he could look for him.

Within minutes, Deputies Hibbert and H. Azeez found her father, who was at the MIA Rental Car Center with a dead cell phone battery. After Garcia purchased a ticket for her father to fly to Philadelphia, the deputies walked him to the American Airlines check-in area and even gave him a phone charger.

“Your deputies went above and beyond in keeping my father safe and giving him peace of mind that he will get home safe,” said Garcia. “These deputies should be recognized for the amazing work they did. I will forever be grateful to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.”

Because of their swift actions to get Garcia’s father safely on his way to his daughter, MDSO Deputies Hibbert and Azeez were named MIA’s October 2026 Employees of the Month.

Miami International Airport, America’s busiest airport for international freight and the second busiest for international passengers, is receiving an unprecedented investment of $14 billion in capital improvements and maintenance upgrades. MIA offers more flights to Latin America and the Caribbean than any other U.S. airport and is also the leading economic engine for Miami-Dade County and the state of Florida, generating $212 billion in business revenue and approximately 60 percent of all international visitors to Florida annually.

To request materials in accessible format, Sign Language Interpreters, CART services and/or any accommodation to participate in any Miami-Dade Aviation Department (MDAD) public meetings and events please email the ADA Office at ADAcoordinator@miami-airport.com or call the office in 305-869-1859 five days in advance to initiate your request. Persons who are deaf or hard of hearing may also call 711 (Florida Relay Service).