Little Haiti Cultural Complex director resigns after a year, cites ‘systemic’ issues

A little more than a year after becoming the executive director of the Little Haiti Cultural Complex, Qunyatta Warren submitted his resignation on Monday.

The move comes amid ongoing issues that Warren said impacted his ability to lead the LHCC. Two of the main problems, according to Warren, include a long list of repairs to the building that have yet to be started and disagreements with the City of Miami’s Parks and Recreation Department, which oversees the LHCC, concerning overtime.

“It feels systemic,” Warren told the Miami Herald. “There has been a consistent behavior between parks, the center and city administration that leads me to believe there’s a disconnect.”

“I don’t know why the center isn’t looked at with the same care as facilities in other neighborhoods,” added Warren whose last day will be July 19.

Warren’s main issue stems from the city’s lack of response to repair notices, he said. For nearly a year, Warren has pushed the city to repair the roof, address drainage issues that spawned mold and fix the air conditioning unit, he said. In mid-June, the Caribbean Marketplace, one of the LHCC’s biggest tourist attractions, was closed because the roof needed to be fixed.

“We still don’t have a hard start date for when the repairs are going to start,” Warren said.

The LHCC lies within the district of Miami Commission Chair Christine King. Her office and the parks did not respond to a Herald inquiry about the repairs, however, a city spokesperson confirmed receipt of Warren’s resignation. The spokesperson also said that “updates on all pending improvements at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex” will be provided during Tuesday’s Little Haiti Revitalization Trust meeting.

Warren, who moved from Jacksonville to Miami to helm the Haitian-American institution in June 2023, said he tried to elevate the institution with more programming. The cultural center and its picturesque marketplace have become the heart of Little Haiti’s cultural fabric, hosting concerts, classes, workshops and artisan markets. When Warren took over as director he helped spearhead more than two dozen events during his tenure, according to his resignation letter. Warren also added dance, martial arts and Haitian culinary classes in addition to helping to beautify the campus, the letter continued.

Despite the expansion of programming, the city wanted to extend his probationary period due to his lack of communication “with them about facility issues,” Warren said. Not only was that not true, Warren said, but the problems predated his employment. The parks department also took issue with his staff’s requests for overtime, Warren said, which was simply due to the uptick in events.

“It didn’t make sense for me to be in this position,” Warren said. The dragging of feet with regard to repairs and the complaints about staff overtime left Warren with the impression that the cultural complex was not a priority, he said.

“The city doesn’t want to release control of the Cultural Complex because it’s such a sought after space,” Warren added. “I think they want it but they don’t see it as a top priority.”

Warren’s resignation is just the latest blow to an institution that many community members believe the city no longer appreciates. The LHCC received an “unsafe structure” violation because of its failure of the 40-year recertification due to overdue structural repairs in February 2023, WLRN first reported. King deemed the violations “procedural” in a December 2023 interview with the Herald.

Two of the previous LHCC directors — Sandy Dorsainvil and Abraham Metellus — have also expressed frustration about funding issues during their respective tenures.

“The financial support, the professional support was always lacking,” Dorsainvil told the Herald in a Dec. 2023 interview. Having held the position off and on since 2013, Dorsainvil was fired in 2022 after the city discovered she agreed to an advertising contract without proper approval. Dorsainvil admitted to to have done so but blamed the LHCC’s lack of staff. “To this day, the culture center is still understaffed, still doesn’t have a sufficient marketing budget, still doesn’t have a sufficient programming budget.”

In an email sent to the Herald about Warren’s resignation, Metellus echoed similar concerns about the lack of support.

“No matter how many times we followed the steps, improved processes, activated the space, and brought in successful programs, our efforts were met with resistance and resentment,” Metellus wrote in a July 8th email, comparing the city’s treatment of the LHCC to that of “a red-headed stepchild.”

“Qualified managers are brought in to run the complex on a shoestring budget with limited staff, and when they manage to make it work, they are set up to fail,” he wrote.

As for the future of the LHCC, Warren believes the community’s collective voice might be the best catalyst.

“I hope that with awareness comes improvements,” Warren said, “but if the community does not let its voice be heard, then it’s going to be the same.”