Suspension of Little Haiti Cultural Complex director exposes years of turmoil
At an event in Little Haiti’s Caribbean Marketplace in early January to commemorate the 16th anniversary of the earthquake that struck Haiti, a long roster of local leaders, politicians and activists spoke to the crowded room. But one person who did not speak was the host of the event — the director of the Little Haiti Cultural Complex, Dasha Saintremy.
Attendees, including news media, had expected to hear from Saintremy, who took over the job as director last year and is the fourth to lead the institution in only six years, but she didn’t even deliver a greeting to open the event.
Her hesitancy was warranted: Weeks earlier, Saintremy was reprimanded and later suspended without pay by the City of Miami Parks and Recreation Department for supposedly violating the city’s media relations policy, according to documents obtained by the Miami Herald.
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Saintremy’s suspension has been met with confusion and frustration by people in the Little Haiti community, who see the scrutiny on her performance as a sign that the city is intentionally looking for ways to push out another director for a cultural institution that is in great need of steady leadership as it tries to solve multiple maintenance issues and expand programming. Two petitions have been circulating defending Saintremy’s performance and praising her efforts in reinvigorating the cultural center.
While Saintremy’s suspension has sparked backlash, her situation underscores a deeper, decades-long pattern of instability at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex, according to former directors and community members in Little Haiti. This ongoing friction between the city’s Parks Department, which operates the center, and a revolving door of directors reinforces what past directors call “systemic neglect” characterized by delays to infrastructural improvements, stagnant funding, and restrictive oversight—leaving some in the community to fear that the city is intentionally sabotaging the institution’s leadership. All this amid fears in the community that there’s a push for the center to focus less on Haitian and Haitian American culture amid the rapid gentrification of Little Haiti.
Merline Joseph grew up in Little Haiti and worked for late Miami and Miami-Dade County commissioner Arthur Teele, who was a strong advocate for the Little Haiti Cultural Complex’s founding before his death. Joseph said there is a pattern of this kind of treatment of the center’s directors.
“I feel like every time we try to make progress with the center, [the city] shuts us down,” she said. “It’s just like they don’t want it. They don’t want us, the Haitian community, to have that. It’s like they don’t want it to grow…Every time [directors] try to keep it going and something happens. I don’t know why. We just need an explanation.”
‘We’re happy that she’s here’
Saintremy took on the role in February, hired several months after the previous director resigned because of what he called “systemic problems” that made it impossible to lead the center. In an interview with the Herald after his resignation, Qunyatta Warren cited a long list of repairs to the building that had yet to be started and disagreements with the Parks and Recreation Department concerning staffing and overtime.
“There has been a consistent behavior between parks, the center and city administration that leads me to believe there’s a disconnect,” he said at the time.
While there has been progress on the repairs to the complex including new HVAC systems in the community and theater buildings, updated drainage systems, mold remediation, dance floor replacement, and fire alarm and elevator upgrades, other issues are still pending, such as a new roof for the Caribbean Marketplace. Helena Poleo from the city’s department of communications told the Herald that the roof was currently in the permitting phase and the procurement phase will be completed by end of April. The roof will cost upwards of $5.8 million, according to the city.
Since becoming director, Saintremy has brought new events to the space, including her monthly Cultural Conversations series, an art exhibit and auction in honor of breast cancer awareness month, Art Basel events, and the continued support of monthly musical series Sounds of Little Haiti.
These are welcomed changes among those who are involved in the Little Haiti community. Terry Louis, co-producer of monthly music series The Sounds of Little Haiti, said Saintremy has ensured the center is “culturally active,” particularly following a period where it was without leadership.
“When she came on board, she started to create cultural activities and reached out to different artists in the communities and getting involved and pushing people to participate and create at the center,” he said. “She’s very big at cultivating and galvanizing people, especially artists. We’re just happy that she’s here, at least for now.”
Reprimands and suspension
Saintremy had only been on the job for three months before she got her first reprimand. By Dec. 9, she was before the Civil Servant Board having her probation period extended another four months.
Then, in a Dec. 22 letter, the city’s Parks and Recreation Department notified Saintremy she was being suspended without pay for three days for violating the city’s media relations policy. It stated that on April 2 and Sept. 19 she spoke with news media, including an interview with the Miami Herald where she detailed her plans for the cultural center.
Saintremy appealed her suspension and also requested an investigation into the parks department, citing their decision to sanction her twice for the same violation after the board already issued an extension of her probation. In response to email questions from Herald, the city said it cannot comment on personnel issues nor did it comment on why the Dec. 9 recording of the Civil Servan Board meeting was not available online.
Two petitions began circulating in support of the work Saintremy was doing at the center after her suspension. One of the petitions, which is signed by “Concerned Community Members, Partners, and Patrons of the Little Haiti Cultural Center” offered a vote of confidence for her performance stating that since she assumed the role, she “has demonstrated professionalism, dedication, and a clear commitment to the mission of the Little Haiti Cultural Center as a space for cultural preservation, artistic expression, and community engagement.”
A separate petition posted on Change.org is directed to the Civil Service Board, admonishing them for disciplining her and raising the alarm at her “potential removal.” The petition starter is identified as Remi Amenze, and was not made available for comment. “The LHCC has experienced an unusually high turnover rate in its managerial position, resulting in an enduring pattern of instability, poor employee morale, and eroded trust within the cultural community it was created to serve,” the petition states.
Success is not a priority
The Miami Herald spoke with several of the Cultural Complex’s past directors and found many shared the same concerns and complaints during their tenures: systemic neglect, budget issues and a confusing media policy that leaves them unable to promote the center’s work effectively.
Sandy Dorsainvil was the center’s director on and off for eight years, and sees similarities in the ways that she was treated during her time. Dorsainvil recalled also being reprimanded for promoting an event at the center via a billboard and for speaking with media.
“It just lets me know that, it wasn’t just me,” she said. “There’s a problem. I can’t put my finger on what the issue is with that beautiful space, but for some reason its success is not a priority.”
Dorsainvil said Saintremy’s treatment shows there’s something going on beyond issues with leadership. “We can’t all be the problem,” she said.
Dorsainvil also co-produces Sounds of Little Haiti and said there are still roof and leak issues and occasional problems with the air conditioning.
The city spokesperson sent an outline of repairs that have been done to the facility, including repairs to the roof, a new HVAC system and mold remediation.
Abraham Metellus, who was director from 2016 to 2019, said he’s concerned the center could lose another director and is frustrated by the continued delay in improvements.
“It just seems like there’s this systemic neglect of the Little Haiti Cultural Center by the parks department,” he said, adding that work on the dance studio began when he was the center’s director in 2019 and wasn’t completed until last year. “For me, that just shows neglect,” he said.
The former directors also criticized Saintremy’s reprimands from the city, stating a key function of her role is to promote events at the cultural center and that means speaking with media.
Warren, Saintremy’s immediate predecessor, said he was not made aware of a media policy until after he spoke to the media early into his tenure, and believes that’s what happened with Saintremy as well. He was also reprimanded in front of the Civil Service Board, he said, but the board declined to extend his probation.
“It seems like they want a ‘yes man’ to stay in line, don’t talk to nobody, and keep the center afloat with as little budget and as little staff as they’re going to give you,” he said. “It does not make the center, nor that position, enticing in any way. I‘m concerned, and I hope that the community will continue to hold the city accountable.”
Metellus said Saintremy and other directors have tried to promote the center and the events, but have hit consistent roadblocks. He is concerned that the directors are being set up to fail.
“I think what the City of Miami is doing, is just trying to build a case of like, hey ... we have, quote-unquote, incompetent managers, and it’s not successful, so we’re just going to bring in a third party to this run this,” he said. “I think it would be a detrimental blow to the community.”
Dorsainvil said there has also been a sentiment regarding the center that it shouldn’t strictly be tied to Haitian heritage and culture given the vast changes in Little Haiti. But Haitians and Haitian Americans deserve their to have an area where they can celebrate their culture akin to Little Havana, Overtown, and Coconut Grove, she said.
“It’s a valuable space, especially in today’s climate,” she said. “Our community needs a place of communion. Our community needs a safe haven, and the cultural center is that.”
This story was originally published January 28, 2026 at 4:30 AM.
