By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THE Lucayan Towers South condominium in Grand Bahama is still deplorable, and the Grand Bahama Port Authority’s response to the problem remains elusive.

A year ago, the authority issued a final notice to the Condominium Board at Lucayan Towers South to address longstanding code violations and serious safety hazards. The board was given a 30-day deadline to submit a plan to address the issues or have its Certificate of Occupancy revoked. 

The board submitted a proposed plan and was granted a brief extension. Since then, this newspaper has been unable to determine how the authority would act.

Condo owners claim that the board has failed to carry out proper maintenance and repairs at the building. They report that elevators frequently break down, balconies are falling apart, and fire alarms are said not to be working. They also complained that the building looked deplorable.

Paul Joseph, a former tenant, told The Tribune that the building remains in “horrific” condition and should not be occupied now.

Mr Joseph was passing through the area on Tuesday and was speaking of what he saw.

“When I saw the condition of the balconies, I was shocked. All the steel is exposed, and some of the units are boarded up,” he added.

“We don’t want a situation that happened in Florida to happen here,” he said, referring to the deadly collapse in Surfside, where many died when the Champlain Towers South building collapsed unexpectedly in June 2021. 

Mr Joseph said it is time for officials in Grand Bahama to take proper action, adding that the once upscale condominium complex is now an eyesore and a danger. 

 “The Grand Bahama Port Authority, or whoever is responsible, needs to take a proper action and put their foot down to bring some resolution to the tenants that live there and occupy the complex,” he said. “Human lives are at stake. You don’t want something to happen and then respond to it after the fact. That is not good enough. 

“It is really and truly an eyesore compared to what it used to be in the glory days.”