History of the Southern District of Florida

The District of Florida was established in 1828. The first marshal was U.S. Marshal Henry Wilson. When the district was reorganized in 1847, the Southern District of Florida (S/FL) was created. It’s first marshal was U.S. Marshal Joseph Browne. Today, the district is led by U.S. Marshal Priscilla Perez-Lopez, the district’s second female marshal. In 2003, Christina Pharo became the district’s first female marshal. The district is supported by approximately 80 personnel.

Historic operations in S/FL include combating illegal drug smuggling, the Elian Gonzalez case, the Qazi brothers attempted terrorism plot, the back-to-back terrorism trials of Jose Padilla and the Liberty City Seven, and the capture of would-be assassin Ryan Routh.

Most recently, in February 2024, the Florida Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force assisted in the arrest of Deshawn Davis, a 15 Most Wanted fugitive. Davis was wanted by Miami-Dade County for first degree murder and by Ontario, Canada Provincial Police for kidnapping. A lead on Davis’s location was sent to the Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force (PSWRFTF) in Los Angeles and he was subsequently arrested in Redway, California.

The Southern District of Florida is different from most as there are beaches on the east side and everglades on the west. There are two large cruise ship terminals located in Miami and Fort Lauderdale and multiple international airports. Miami International Airport is one of the busiest for international travel. South Florida is labeled by some as the fraud capital of the U.S. and has one of the highest amounts of international fugitive extraditions.

The district also gets to lay claim that it is the home of our current Director, Gadyaces Serralta. He served as the U.S. Marshal for the district from 2018 until President Donald Trump selected him to be the 13th Director of the United States Marshals Service in 2025.