ATTORNEY general's four-day visit to Florida to include meetings with law enforcement officials

Sunday, June 24th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

MIAMI (AP) _ Attorney General John Ashcroft was to meet with law enforcement officials, Cuban-Americans and other immigrants during a four-day trip to Florida beginning Sunday.

Ashcroft was scheduled to address the annual gathering of the National Sheriffs' Association in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday. The group was the first law enforcement organization to support the former Missouri senator for attorney general.

In Miami, Ashcroft plans to tour the Drug Enforcement Administration office on Monday and hold an informal luncheon meeting Tuesday with leaders of the Cuban-American community, a Republican force in Florida politics.

He also expects to hold briefings with immigration officials and the Miami-Dade County state attorney's office, formerly headed by his predecessor Janet Reno, said Justice Department spokesman Dan Nelson.

``The objective is to see their operation firsthand and thank the men and women who work diligently to keep our communities safe,'' Nelson said.

Ashcroft will stop in Tampa for a citizenship ceremony Wednesday before leaving Florida.

He was not expected to meet with Gov. Jeb Bush, said spokeswoman Liz Hirst.