business@tribunemedia.net
THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2025
$5.40 $5.08
Ex-minister: Gov’t ‘flouted law’ over SpaceX’s EIA t A#FOU PWFS CBDLXBSET UP QMFBTF &MPO .VTL 64 t 'FSSFJSB 'BMM PVU UISFBUFOT UP AFSPEF QVCMJD USVTU t &Y #/5 DIJFG (JWJOH HP BIFBE ATIPSU TJHIUFE By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net AN ex-Cabinet minister yesterday accused the Government of “flouting the law” over the SpaceX rocket booster landings in its haste “to bend over backwards to please” the latter’s billionaire owner, Elon Musk. Romauld Ferreira, ROMAULD who oversaw the pasFERREIRA sage of upgraded environmental protection laws and regulations under the Minnis administration, told Tribune Business that the temporary halt to SpaceX landings in The Bahamas until a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is completed ERIC CAREY was effectively an admission that the Government had got the approvals process “backwards”. Pointing out the regulations accompanying the Environmental Planning and Protection Act require that a full EIA be completed before “the activity” it is examining can take place, he asserted that the Davis administration is “circumventing the law for those they want to do business with” and, in SpaceX’s case, had “thrown all caution to the wind” because of its connection to Mr Musk and his links to the White House. Moving forward, Mr Ferreira told this newspaper that the EIA must include a “mapping of the debris field” from the first booster landing and, if no material fell on any Bahamian island, “show and demonstrate” this is the case. He argued that The Bahamas was really
SEE PAGE B6
$5.42
$5.43
$5.55
Planning battle erupts over Village Road office complex t 3FTJEFOUT GFBS AIFJOPVT DPNNFSDJBM JOUSVTJPO A FURIOUS planning battle has erupted over a t 5PXO 1MBOOJOH DIBJS Bahamian doctor’s develSFWFBMT SF[POFE JO opment of a small office complex on Village Road amid residents’ fears it will t %PDUPS EFWFMPQFS A* IBWF pave the way for further “heiEPOF OPUIJOH XSPOH nous” commercial intrusion. By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
The Montagu Heights Neighbourhood Association, in an April 14, 2025, letter sent to the planning authorities and Tribune Business, argued that the project under construction at the junction of Village Road and Windsor Avenue threatens to set a dangerous precedent and open the door to further commercial infiltration into a community they have “fought” to keep single family residential for more than 25 years. The Association described the go-ahead for the twostorey, two-building project as “an appalling insult” to the efforts by residents and
homeowners to keep their neighbourhood commercialfree, and argued that “there is no longer a residential community” in New Providence “that is safe” from an influx of businesses. Keenan Johnson, the Town Planning Committee’s chairman, responding to the letter’s accusations that the authorities are failing to ensure “harmonious development”, told this newspaper that after reviewing the files he can confirm that the Subdivision and Development Appeals Board had overturned the initial
rejection and approved the rezoning of the site where the office complex is being constructed for commercial use. That decision, which overturned the Town Planning Committee’s original verdict, was issued on September 9, 2021, under the former Minnis administration just one week before it was thrown out of office by that month’s general election. And Dr Wesley Francis, the principal behind the development, told Tribune Business that he has “done nothing wrong” in relation to his Big
Sur project, and asserted he had “followed the letter of the law” and all Departments of Physical Planning and Ministry of Works processes to obtain every permit needed to proceed with the ongoing construction. Voicing disquiet that his name has been made public, and that the Association has “pierced the corporate veil”, he accused it of acting “in bad faith” and failing to respond to his efforts to reach out after being contacted by a mutual acquaintance who had requested he do this. Suggesting that his name had been disclosed in a bid to portray himself as “the bad guy”, Dr Francis reiterated that the property had been re-zoned for commercial use several years before he acquired it and urged the Association not to drag him into a controversy over its differences with the planning authorities.
SEE PAGE B8
‘Stagnant’ Exuma project gains new management By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE principals behind a group taking over February Point’s management yesterday said their ambition is to make it “the crown jewel of Exuma that it deserves to be”. Eric Kim told Tribune Business that the group, which includes R. Harvey Sasso, president and founder
of Florida-based Coastal Systems, a construction, engineering and marina development firm, have been brought in by the troubled community’s existing owners on a consulting basis to “get the development back in line” so that it can finally move forward. Asserting that they will also seek to “change the narrative”, and escape the negativity that has
surrounded the development for many years, he added that improving relations with the Government as well as existing home owners will be a key focus. Mr Kim, though, was coy when asked by this newspaper whether the management/ consulting arrangement with February Point was merely a first step towards he and Mr Sasso acquiring the development and its remaining unsold
lots, as he replied: “You’re a good reporter. That’s something I cannot comment on right now. I would love to but I just can’t comment.” Homeowners at February Point, which Tribune Business reported in 2024 has “stagnated” over the past decade and failed to live up to its promise, were alerted to the new managers by
SEE PAGE B7
Tourism faces ‘very foggy crystal ball’ By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamian tourism industry faces “a very foggy crystal ball” in predicting its near-term performance with global economic turmoil causing many “grave concern”, a senior hotelier warned yesterday. Jackson Weech, the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA), in a written response to Tribune Business inquiries confirmed that the upheaval and stock market sell-off triggered by Donald Trump’s trade and tariff policies - and the resulting uncertainty impacting business and consumer confidence - may “have a
JACKSON WEECH dampening effect” on travel demand and Bahamian vacations. “Tourism destinations throughout the globe are monitoring the fluctuating dynamics that could have a heightening impact on travel choices and trends from, to and through our primary source market,
SEE PAGE B9
Consumer watchdog solves one in four Q1 complaints By FAY SIMMONS Tribune Business Reporter jsimmons@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamas’ consumer watchdog yesterday said it has resolved more than one of every four complaints received during the 2025 first quarter while recovering $44,000 in compensation for the public. Senator Randy Rolle, the Consumer Protection Commission (CPC) chairman, in a statement said he is “extremely pleased” with the work his team has done so far in resolving consumer disputes with merchants. The watchdog revealed that it has recouped $44,000 for consumers between
January 1, 2025, and April 5, 2025, representing a 60.79 percent recovery rate in claims processed. Mr Rolle said the agency has seen a decline in complaints related to courier companies, auto parts companies and contractors, sectors that previously had the highest volume of grievances in 2024. “Every complaint tells a story, and behind each one is a Bahamian who deserves fairness in the marketplace,” said Mr Rolle. “Our job is to listen, investigate, and act — and, when needed, escalate. We’re not just responding to issues; we’re reshaping
SEE PAGE B7