Monday, August 18, 2025
By Fay Simmons
Tribune Business Reporter
jsimmons@tribunemedia.net
FNM candidate for Exuma and Ragged Island Debra Moxey-Rolle says the Davis administration has “gone silent” regarding the ongoing closure of Sandals Emerald Bay, which was shuttered to facilitate its rebranding into a family-friendly Beaches resort.
Mrs Moxey-Rolle said that a year after the resort’s closure, work has still not begun on site. She is now demanding a full update and a definitive timeline for construction.
“Last August, Sandals Emerald Bay suspended operations after the government promised renovations would take no more than eight months. A full year has passed, and there is still no active construction on site, and hundreds of workers are at home. The government has gone silent, offering no credible update about when the resort will reopen and no explanation for the delays,” said Mrs Moxey-Rolle.
“As Exuma’s largest private employer, this resort’s year-long suspension has left more than 425 workers unemployed, 200 of whom are native Exumians. Local businesses that depended on Sandals visitors, from tour operators to taxi drivers and artisans, have all taken a hit. Every missed paycheck means less money circulating in the community, draining the island’s economy.”
The timeline for the project has shifted several times. In August 2024, Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper estimated a six- to eight-month construction phase for the resort’s transformation into a Beaches property.
However, Sandals representatives later indicated that construction could take up to 15 months. Jeremy Mutton, general manager at Sandals Emerald Bay, told Tribune Business that the rebranding would begin once the necessary permits were secured that fall, with a projected 12- to 15-month timeline.
In January, Chuck Roberts, managing director at Sandals Resorts Bahamas, confirmed the resort was still in the process of obtaining the required construction approvals.
Mrs. Moxey-Rolle emphasised that the prolonged closure is negatively affecting both employees and the private sector in Exuma, accusing the Davis administration of failing to keep the project on track.
“The Exuma Chamber of Commerce has warned before that losing Sandals delivers a psychological blow to the island’s morale and economy. That warning is playing out again. This shutdown is now dragging into a second year, and the negative toll it is having on Exuma is undeniable,” said Mrs Moxey-Rolle.
“When the PLP stood with Sandals executives last year, they promised swift action, boasted about a $100m investment, and assured Exuma the disruption would be short. Beaches Exuma was set to employ more than 850 people, doubling the resort’s workforce and creating new opportunities for local jobs and family-run businesses. Today, those promises have not been fulfilled. Jobs have not materialized, and the PLP has failed to keep the project moving.”
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