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Thursday, December 4, 2025
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Gov’t paying $39m to buy Harbourside from Doctors
Rosewood Exuma opponent in legal challenge go-ahead
• Minister unveils ten-year lease-to-purchase deal THE Government is paying $39m over a ten-year period • PMH kitchen floor could to acquire the recently-completed Harbourside in-patient ‘possibly have collapsed’ facility on East Bay Street from Doctors Hospital, it was • Hospital A&E upgrade costs revealed yesterday. Dr Michael Darville, min‘ballooned’ by millions ister of health and wellness,
• Court gives Turtlegrass leave to launch Judicial Review • Seeking injunction to halt work at Sampson Cay rival • Threatens to ‘cease’ own first phase if there’s dredging
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
told Tribune Business that the deal has been structured as a lease-to-own or purchase agreement with payments to the BISX-listed healthcare provider spread out over 120 months - likely to ease the burden on an alreadystretched Public Treasury and taxpayer. “The Harbourside medical hospital is a ten-year lease purchase agreement - 120 monthly payments with a total purchase price of $38.901m or thirty-eight million, nine hundred and two thousand, nine hundred and fifteen dollars,”
the minister confirmed in response to this newspaper’s inquiries. Dr Darville, in unveiling the deal to the House of Assembly earlier, said: “I would also like to inform this honourable House and the general public that final preparatory steps [are being taken] to occupy the new Harbourside East Bay Street, multi-bed hospital facility acquired from Doctors Hospital by the Ministry of Health and Wellness.
“This brand new facility was acquired by my ministry and I alluded to it during my last Budget debate communication.” Dr Darville did not respond to other Tribune Business questions on the move, including the rationale for the lease-to-purchase deal and what benefits it will deliver for the Bahamian people and public healthcare, plus what plans there are to ensure it is adequately staffed and resourced when the Government takes control.
Grand Lucayan buyer awaiting building go-ahead in early 2026 By ANNELIA NIXON Tribune Business Reporter anixon@tribunemedia.net THE Grand Lucayan’s purchaser is expected to receive the necessary permits and approvals to proceed with construction activities during the 2026 first quarter, it was revealed yesterday. Concord Wilshire is expected to receive construction approval for the Grand Lucayan in the first quarter of 2026 and a second pier is will be completed next year which will accommodate more XL
class ships for Carnival’s Celebration Key and welcome a projected 4 million guests annually to Grand Bahama by 2028. Jillian Williams, the Grand Bahama Island Promotion Board’s (GBIPB) brand representative, told the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association's (BHTA) 73rd annual general meeting that the island “is on a clear upward trajectory” due to to major investment projects impacting the cruise sector,
airlift and room inventory diversification. Focusing on the Grand Lucayan, she added that US-based investor, Concord Wilshire, is “eager to begin construction” and that, based on government communications, necessary approvals and the start of construction is expected in early 2026. “Government communication indicates that Concord Wilshire is expected to receive approval to begin construction in the first quarter of 2026,” Ms Williams said.
Insurers: Make sure NHI has ‘necessary resources’ By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net BAHAMIAN health insurers yesterday urged the Government to ensure the National Health Insurance (NHI) overseer has the “necessary resources” to properly implement its newly-legislated mandate, adding: “As long as they’re ready, we’ll be ready.” Marcus Bosland, the Bahamas Insurance Association’s (BIA) deputy chair for life and health insurance, told Tribune Business
that while the one-year “transition” period is “sufficient” for the industry to meet its obligations under the NHI Act 2025 it remains concerned on whether the NHI Authority will be able to fully take care of its responsibilities. Speaking after Dr Michael Darville, minister of health and wellness, confirmed that parts of the NHI Act have been “deferred” for a year so health insurers can adjust their existing policies and
ADJUST - See Page B6
Vacation rental crackdown set for launch in early 2026 By FAY SIMMONS Tribune Business Reporter jsimmons@tribunemedia.net THE Department of Inland Revenue will launch a crackdown on non-compliant vacation rental properties early in 2026 as registration remains below its expectations, it was revealed yesterday. Shunda Strachan, the Department of Inland Revenue's controller, said increased enforcement against vacation rental owners who have not registered their properties with the tax authority will begin “early in the New Year”. Speaking at a seminar for the Government’s large
taxpayers, Ms Strachan said that although more vacation rental owners are registering their properties, many still have not complied. As a result, the Department of Inland Revenue will now begin enforcement actions with a focus on individuals advertising vacation rentals that are not properly registered. “Vacation rentals, the registration is improving, but there's still room for improvement. So we're about to engage enforcement activities on those that we see advertising but that haven't come forward,” said Ms Strachan.
ENFORCE - See Page B7
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
“The redevelopment is anticipated to significantly enhance the island's room inventory, with refurbishment projected to begin in the same period.” Tribune Business sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, suggested that the developer is hoping to take possession of the Grand Lucayan from the Government imminently. The property is presently closed to paying guests, and the handover has taken longer than anticipated due to ongoing negotiations with the Davis administration to resolve elements of the deal deemed critical to Concord Wilshire and its partners. This newspaper understands that there has been
OPPONENTS of the $200m Rosewood Exuma resort yesterday hailed the Supreme Court go-ahead for their bid to overturn the project’s environmental approvals on the basis that they were obtained via a “shifting series of plans”. Turtlegrass Resort, in a statement responding to Justice Leif Farquharson’s December 2, 2025, Order giving it permission to proceed with its Judicial Review challenge argued that the process by which the neighbouring East Sampson Cay development obtained its certificate of environmental clearance (CEC) was “fundamentally flawed”. It is also seeking an injunction to halt further work on the Rosewood Exuma development, and threatening to “cease construction” and not even complete the first phase of its own $75m development if its neighbour proceeds with dredging plans. In arguments supporting its Judicial Review application, Turtlegrass and its principal, Bob Coughlin, argued that the 500 combined guests and staff at Rosewood Exuma once it reaches full operation will almost match what they allege is the 660-strong population “of the entire Exuma cays”. Hitting out at the rival project’s likely environmental impact, due to its size and scale being too large for both East Sampson Cay and the wider Exuma cays, Mr Coughlin and Turtlegrass complained that plans for the development, which is being spearheaded by Miami-based Yntegra Group, underwent “material modifications” to its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) after the public consultation period had closed. And, asserting that key environmental documents were not presented to the public prior while “deficiencies” were not addressed, they argued that te Department of Environmental
BUILD - See Page B7
PERMISSION - See Page B7
DR MICHAEL DARVILLE Dennis Deveaux, Doctors Hospital’s chief financial officer, declined to comment when contacted by Tribune Business yesterday. He told this newspaper as recently as last month that the long-awaited Harbourside location in eastern New Providence will help to boost revenues and earnings for
HEALTHCARE - See Page B6