{"id":1956,"date":"2026-06-18T09:01:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T09:01:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1956"},"modified":"2026-06-18T09:01:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T09:01:14","slug":"director-of-downtown-miami-agency-placed-on-leave-amid-board-dysfunction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1956","title":{"rendered":"Director of downtown Miami agency placed on leave amid board dysfunction"},"content":{"rendered":"<article><!-- --><!-- --><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The director of the Miami Downtown Development Authority (DDA) has been placed on administrative leave as the agency\u2019s 15-member board searches for her replacement and reckons with what&#8217;s been described as a dysfunctional and hostile environment.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1955\">Best draft picks in Miami Heat history<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>On Wednesday, Miami DDA board members voted unanimously to place agency CEO and Executive Director Christina Crespi on administrative leave for a month while she negotiates an exit package with the City Attorney\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The charged meeting prompted a scolding from board member Vicki Lopez, who described the situation as a \u201ckangaroo court\u201d and said it was \u201cdisturbing\u201d to see board members acting as a \u201cde facto\u201d human resources department.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI believe that the board needs some training, because we have not acted like a professional board who is governed by state statute and a city ordinance, and that is very embarrassing,\u201d said Lopez, who is also a Miami-Dade County commissioner. \u201cWe should all be embarrassed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Lopez also offered an apology to Crespi, saying she was sorry if the process \u201cin some way created more anxiety and harm.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Wednesday\u2019s vote marked the latest development in the ongoing turmoil at the public agency, which gets funding from property taxes within the greater downtown area. The DDA\u2019s stated mission is to \u201cgrow, strengthen, and promote the economic development and quality of life of Downtown Miami\u2019s vibrant neighborhoods.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Crespi\u2019s dramatic departure follows several public meetings where Miami City Commissioner and DDA Chairman Ralph Rosado called into question Crespi\u2019s performance, accusing her of having frequent absences, repeatedly accruing negative vacation time and potentially committing \u201ctime theft.\u201d Rosado also said staff in his District 4 commission office has been providing the DDA with a \u201cmassive\u201d amount of assistance by picking up slack to complete DDA tasks.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Crespi denied the claims, saying a bookkeeping error led to false allegations about her hours and vacation time. Crespi had taken leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) last year. When she returned, she had a balance of over 200 negative sick hours, according to the agency\u2019s director of administration and public services, but two employees donated 100 hours and 80 hours, respectively, of sick leave to Crespi, helping her get out of the hole.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Rosado\u2019s allegations \u2014 first made public last month \u2014 came as a shock to board members, who described the situation as a \u201cwitch hunt\u201d and a \u201cpublic assassination\u201d of Crespi, who\u2019s been the DDA executive director since 2020. Her salary is $275,000.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Crespi was presented with a separation agreement last month, <!--Meaning we don\u2019t know for sure that Rosado was the one to present it to her? Correct, or the city attorney\u2019s office --TR -->although the source of the agreement is unclear. She recently countered with a proposal that included five months\u2019 severance and a seven-month \u201cexpert consulting agreement,\u201d as well as a lump sum payment that included a 10% \u201ccompletion bonus\u201d of $27,500, as well as $21,000 for a loan she received from her retirement account, according to an internal memo.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1953\">Best draft picks in Orlando Magic history<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The City Attorney\u2019s Office last week recommended against accepting that offer. So on Wednesday, Crespi and her attorney sat by as board members haggled over a new exit package. The board arrived at an offer that includes an expert consulting agreement at Crespi\u2019s current pay rate that would run through Sept. 30, followed by 20 weeks\u2019 severance that includes continued health insurance coverage.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Crespi\u2019s attorney, Robert Twombly, told the board that his client would not be making a decision Wednesday. With Crespi now on leave, the board appointed DDA Chief of Economic Development and Strategy Michaeljohn Green as acting director and approved upward of $50,000 to conduct a search for Crespi\u2019s replacement.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The fallout has brought attention to a public agency that doesn\u2019t typically find itself in the spotlight. The Miami DDA, governed by a 15-member board, represents a special taxing district that encompasses Brickell, downtown and parts of Edgewater. The DDA budget includes an estimated $12.8 million in property tax revenue for the current fiscal year.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Lopez, the county commissioner, was absent for the May meeting where Rosado first made his allegations to the full board.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Seated beside Rosado on Wednesday, Lopez appeared appalled at what had transpired in recent weeks. She chastised board members, as well as Rosado, saying he should not have let his city staff do DDA work \u201cin any capacity.\u201d She also condemned a meeting last week where board members directly asked questions of DDA staff.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis feels very much like a kangaroo court, and we are not \u2014 that is not the role of the board of directors of, I might remind you, a government agency,\u201d Lopez said.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Lopez, a former state legislator, warned board members that Tallahassee was watching.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll tell you what\u2019s next, and I\u2019ll put you all on notice,\u201d Lopez said. \u201cIf you think no one has noticed how we have functioned in the last three months, let me remind you \u2014 the state legislature always has its eyes on everything. And if you think that this is the kind of behavior that isn\u2019t going to warrant a state legislator to file some bill, think again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1951\">200 people leave their homes as growing fires menace West Miami-Dade<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--]--><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Miami Downtown Development Authority director was placed on leave as the 15-member board confronts exit package negotiations and a search for replacement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1368,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-downtown-miami"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Director of downtown Miami agency placed on leave amid board dysfunction - 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