When several Democratic presidential candidates answered questions in Spanish during the debates in Miami on Wednesday and Thursday, it was a clear overture to the Latino voting bloc — a message of inclusiveness from a party that needs strong turnout to win the White House in 2020.

But for some in the growing Caribbean-American community of South Florida, it came across as a snub.

“They never mention black immigrants,” said Francesca Menes, a 34-year-old of Haitian descent who in December resigned from her post as treasurer for the Florida Democratic Party.

“They make us feel invisible,” Menes said of the Democratic hopefuls.

Not one of the 20 candidates on stage in Miami uttered a word in Creole, which would have connected with South Florida’s Haitian population of more than 330,000 — the majority of whom were born here or are naturalized citizens. Nor did any of the candidates directly address the impact of immigration policy on Caribbean-Americans and their families.

The oversight wasn't surprising, but it is notable. And it could influence 2020 enthusiasm among a growing bloc of Florida voters.

"The party keeps playing from the same playbook, and doesn’t understand that the black community is not monolithic — especially in a state like Florida," Menes said. "You have to come from all of the different angles and you have to meet people where they’re at."

She saw missed opportunities to reach Haitian-Americans and other voters of Caribbean descent via ads on radio stations and other media platforms when she worked with the Democrats during Andrew Gillum's campaign for governor.

Menes’ disillusionment has been building for years, culminating with her decision to leave her post with the state Democrats in December. At the same time, she resigned as state committeewoman for the Miami-Dade County Democratic Executive Committee.

“My hope is that the party takes this time to seriously reflect on this past election cycle and don't just talk about what was done wrong, but prepare for 2020 with clarity and not repeating the mistakes of the past,” she wrote in her resignation message posted on Facebook.

I met Menes on Wednesday in the lobby of the contemporary art museum in North Miami, the city where I grew up. I asked for her read on the crop of 2020 candidates. In a nutshell: she's underwhelmed. She likes what Elizabeth Warren has to say, but she doesn't hear any of the candidates speaking directly to her community.

The debates in Miami didn't change that.

To her, it's not about finding another Obama. It's about authenticity.

“At this point I don’t think people are looking for inspiration anymore," Menes said. "I think people are looking for realness.”

North Miami is home to about 60,000 residents, many of whom are of Haitian descent and follow politics closely. In 2001, it became the largest city in the U.S. with a Haitian-American majority on its city council. Today, North Miami still holds that distinction.

Voters in the community turned out huge for Obama in 2008 and 2012 — but enthusiasm for Hillary Clinton was more tepid in 2016. Some Haitians were disenchanted with the Clinton Foundation’s involvement in Haiti after the devastating 2010 earthquake. Hillary Clinton’s late brother, Tony Rodham, drew scrutiny for deals he struck as co-chairman of Haiti’s recovery commission.

Donald Trump has been a flashpoint in the community. In 2016, he campaigned in Little Haiti, a neighborhood south of North Miami, telling Haitian-Americans in attendance: “I really want to be your biggest champion.” After the event, in private, he called Haiti a “sh--hole” country.

Menes and other Democratic leaders in the community were left in a difficult position in 2016.

“We literally had to push a campaign where a vote for her is a vote against him. That’s a hard campaign to push … and it didn’t really work because our community was very split,” Menes explained.

Turnout among Democrats suffered.

If Florida is a bellwether for the 2020 general election, North Miami could be a bellwether for Florida's Democratic primary in March.

Scott Galvin, who has served on the North Miami City Council since 1999, is very pragmatic about the upcoming election. He wants a Democrat who can win.

“We’re not trying to get anyone who can replicate what Obama did," Galvin, who is white, told me when I met him at the public library in North Miami on Wednesday. "Obama was a generational candidate.”

He believes former Vice President Joe Biden has the best chance of that. He wasn't swayed by California Sen. Kamala Harris' strong criticism of Biden's record on segregation on Thursday night.

Biden's base is larger, Galvin said, and "it won't flee based on a debate 500 days before an election."

The next debates are July 30-31 in Detroit.

We, and the field of candidates, have a long way to go.

Eve Samples is opinion and engagement editor for the USA TODAY Network-Florida, which includes FLORIDA TODAY, the Naples Daily News, The News-Press (Fort Myers), the Pensacola News Journal, the Tallahassee Democrat, and Treasure Coast Newspapers/TCPalm. Contact her at esamples@gannett.com or @EveSamples on Twitter.