The search is on for a person who knocked over a menorah outside the Miami-Dade County Tax Collector's Office, and the incident was caught on video.

Miami-Dade County Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez is also speaking out about the incident, calling it a "despicable act of vandalism" that has "no place in a civilized society."

"This despicable act of vandalism against our menorah is an attack on the values of faith, perseverance and unity that Hanukkah represents and that we celebrated just days ago," he said in a news release.

The religious symbol was recently lit during the office's first-ever Hanukkah ceremony at the Downtown Miami office in what will become a yearly tradition.

"We unequivocally stand with the Jewish community in Miami-Dade County and across the nation," Fernandez continued. "Hate has no home here. Light will always prevail over darkness, and we will not be intimidated. The only way to fight darkness is with light, and I will do that every single day of my life."

Fernandez emphasized that the tradition of lightning the menorah will continue stronger than ever.

"When someone tries to bring down light, our responsibility is to raise it even higher," Fernandez continued. "To every Jewish family in our community, we stand with you, we support you, and we will always defend dignity, respect, and freedom of faith."

Rabbi Yossi Harlig, who presided over the Hanukkah ceremony last week, called the act of vandalism "heartbreaking."

"It is heartbreaking and deeply disturbing to see this happen here in our own community, in Miami-Dade County" Harling said in a statement. "To vandalize a menorah - a symbol of light, unity, and hope - is not just an act of destruction, but a painful statement about the hatred and intolerance we are confronting."

Fernandez said the Miami-Dade Tax Collector's Office is working with local authorities to identify the person or people involved in the act of vandalism.