Goodwill Cleaners Have Special Bond With MDSO

At 79 years old, Jean Bellerive can still operate a heavy floor buffer for as long as it takes to apply his signature patina to the floors inside the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office’s (MDSO) Northwest District. On mornings when his blood sugar is low—he is diabetic—he takes the necessary dosage of insulin and carries on with his daily duties.

After 13 years at the district, a stretch that included the COVID-19 pandemic, when he chose to continue showing up for work rather than stay at home, Mr. Jean, as he is affectionately known, is retiring. He has been working for Goodwill of South Florida for 18 years.

He left Haiti 47 years ago. He was a French teacher there but also learned Spanish, which he often used to chat with MDSO employees. He is a father of six, who range in age from 31 to 57.

Approximately 40 deputies and professional staff gathered in the district’s upstairs conference room on Friday morning, Feb. 28, 2025, to surprise Mr. Jean for his retirement party. He had to be coaxed from his cleaning duties by his Goodwill co-worker, Ms. Inadia Garçon, to go upstairs. They are a two-person team who look after one another.

“He’s such a hard worker, very strong, he loves to work, he’s been like that his whole life,” said Ms. Garçon, who has worked at the district for 20 years.

As Mr. Jean walked into the conference room, disbelief overcame him, and Ms. Garçon had to tug him by his arm to lead him in.

“I can’t believe this, thank you so much,” he told the crowd. He wore his light blue short-sleeve work shirt, dark blue khakis, gray mid-rise lightweight boots, and a wide black back support brace with an adjustable strap system.

Mr. Jean briefly pondered retirement years ago but needed the income, so he continued working. While his hands can still offer a vice-like handshake, his body has been slow to recover some days from the exertions of the job.

“Now, the body says no,” he said.

Major Gonzalez said of the two Goodwill employees, “Aside from the work you do, you are members of our family. You come here every day with smiles on your faces, you come here with energy and vigor, and then, the jobs that you do, it comes from your heart, and I know it, and every single one of us here can testify to that.”

Mr. Jean represents many of the 31 Goodwill of South Florida employees who clean MDSO buildings, including the Fred Taylor Headquarters Building, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Training Center, the Cutler Bay Municipal District, and the Hammocks, Intracoastal, and Northwest districts. Certainly, there are some Goodwill staff who choose to work inconspicuously, but as many of the professional and sworn staff at those locations can attest, the Goodwill crew in general has become a cherished part of workplace camaraderie. They are familiar faces in royal blue smocks who are pulled into conversation over cafecitos and invited to MDSO employees' homes to share family birthdays or other occasions. When they retire, they are sorely missed.

“There is a lot of training involved, and they stay with us for years, 10 to 15 years or beyond,” said Roberto Prado, Goodwill of South Florida manager of service contracts. He acts as the supervisor for the two Goodwill employees at the Northwest District. Every location has a supervisor.

Workers are selected through job fairs mostly and must pass thorough background checks as required to work inside a law enforcement agency.

“It’s a great way for people to stay active, teach them skills, do something productive,” said Mr. Prado, who showed up for the retirement party.

Jocelyne Moussavou, Goodwill of South Florida vice president of service contracts, also showed up to wish Mr. Bellerive a happy retirement.

“I honestly have to admit that it really touched me today, to see everybody in the room, to hear the major, and listen to Mr. Jean’s words about how everyone here treated him like a family member,” Ms. Moussavou said. “As I said in my speech, it means so much because he’s not so much connected to us on a day-to-day basis. He is plugged in here more than to the Goodwill family. So it brings us a lot of peace to know that he is treated equitably and fairly, and with respect because, unfortunately, sometimes this job doesn’t always get the recognition that it should. People see it as a lower-level job even though it is a very important responsibility. This is a testament to the agency and to the sheriff’s office because folks do treat our staff with that level of respect.”

Northwest District Public Service Aide Candace Osborne picked up Mr. Jean’s personalized retirement cake and carried it upstairs to the second-floor conference room, placing it on a table in front of the room alongside platters of sandwiches, fruit, and other food. As she went about fixing the table, she recounted how Mr. Jean often exceeded his job role.

“Our refrigerator was full of things, left and forgotten, and it hadn’t been cleaned out for so long. So I went in and threw stuff away to take out all the clutter, but when I returned the next day, he had gone in there and actually cleaned the inside of the refrigerator. It was spotless clean, and I didn’t even realize that he saw what I had done before,” PSA Osborne said. “He took it upon himself to do that!”

While Mr. Jean could not eat his own retirement cake because of his diabetes, he did snack on other food on the table. As he ate, he looked around and said, “This place has been like home for a long time. I’m going to miss it. I’m going to miss the people here most of all.”