By Neil Hartnell

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

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 Planning and Protection (DEPP) granted Rosewood Exuma’s CEC approvals despite these “fundamental flaws” in the process.

“Our challenge concerns the granting of certificates of environmental clearance (CEC) to Rosewood Exuma/Yntegra,” Turtlegrass said in a brief statement.

“We are convinced that the process for granting the CECs was fundamentally flawed and that no meaningful or proper consultation took place. It is our contention that, under the circumstances, these approvals should not have been granted and are therefore invalid.

“We are also pleased that the court is considering the request for an injunction preventing further work at the Rosewood Exuma/Yntegra site. It is our hope that this injunction will be granted to prevent any further damage to the pristine marine habitat of Sampson Cay.”

Yntegra Group, while declining to comment substantively on matters before the court, said it did not oppose Turtlegrass Resort’s application for Judicial Review and acknowledged the Supreme Court’s decision granting leave to proceed. 

In a December 3 statement, the developer said it was inappropriate to debate the substance of the case publicly but noted that the application had not been contested by Yntegra or any of the other parties involved.

The company said the Rosewood Exuma project had undergone months of public consultation, multiple technical studies and regulatory review, and was developed in collaboration with the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection (DEPP). Yntegra added that it has full confidence in the expertise and integrity of the government institutions overseeing the environmental approval process, and said it remains committed to transparency, environmental protection and compliance with all regulatory requirements.

Yntegra reiterated that the project is intended as a long-term partnership with communities in the Exuma Cays, and said it continues to project the creation of more than 500 jobs for Bahamians during construction and operations. The developer said it will continue to refute claims made against the project through the appropriate legal channels as it awaits the court’s determination.

Yntegra was represented by Robert Adams KC, the Delaney Partners attorney, at the Judicial Review hearing before Justice Farquharson on November 26, 2025. The Attorney General’s Office acted for the numerous government respondents.

Besides Philip Davis KC, the Prime Minister, these included Clay Sweeting, minister of works and Family Island affairs; the late Vaughn Miller in his capacity as minister of the environment and natural resources; Jobeth Coleby-Davis as minister of transport and energy; Jomo Campbell, minister of agriculture and fisheries; DEPP and its director, Rhianna Neely-Murphy; and Charles Zonicle, director of physical planning. All were named in their government capacities.

Justice Farquharson’s Order gives Turtlegrass permission to proceed with its challenge to four of the five approval decisions cited. One was effectively rendered moot, or null and void, by Yntegra’s own decision to withdraw the previous preliminary site plan approval it obtained from the Town Planning Committee and reapply - effectively starting the process all over again.

The four decisions that are now being challenged are the decisions by DEPP to grant the CECs; not require further environmental information to be made public; and not require further public consultation once it received fresh information.

Describing the planned Rosewood Exuma project as “a massive resort development”, Turtlegrass - in legal documents seen by Tribune Business -described Sampson Cay’s North Bay as containing “pristine coral and seagrass beds, and is a nursery habitat for sea turtles and conch. And, in its present state, is a major draw for visitors”.

East Sampson Cay, which features 124 Crown Land acres, is presently said to be undeveloped and uninhabited. “The proposed development will cover substantially the entire length of East Sampson Cay, causing the destruction of the current terrestrial environment of the island,” Turtlegrass and its attorneys, Callenders & Company, alleged.

“It will accommodate in the region of 350 guests and 150 staff, thus around 500 people in total. The current population of the entirety of the Exuma cays, for comparison, is around 600 people. The back of house infrastructure will include fuel storage, power generation and waste processing facilities, and a sewerage disposal well into which the liquid sewage created by the development will be pumped.

“The proposed development will also involve the excavation of a service dock linked to a sea wall nearly 400 feet long; the complete obliteration of the island’s two wetlands to create two marinas capable of berthing super yachts; and the dredging of approach channels to all these facilities. The dredging, excavation, sea wall construction and pollution caused by the proposed development will devastate the marine environment around Sampson Cay.”

Turtlegrass, in its Judicial Review findings, describes itself as “a small eco-tourism resort” under construction at Big Sampson Cay’s north end. Mr Coughlin was said to have acquired “the remainder” of a 121-acre Crown Land lease for $9.5m in February 2022, signing a Heads of Agreement for his development with the Government in March 2023 and obtaining his own CEC two months later.

“In October, the applicant [Turtlegrass] submitted an application for a seabed lease in front of both recreational beaches in front of Turtlegrass. That application has never been processed,” the Judicial Review documents alleged. “The applicant has a strong interest in the protection of the natural environment that surrounds Turtlegrass, including the corals, seagrass beds and biodiversity of North Bay.

“The applicant has commenced construction of phase one of Turtlegrass. However, it has put further phases on hold in light of devastating effects the proposed development would have on the local environment. It intends to even cease construction of phase one should the developers commence dredging in North Bay.”

Mr Coughlin has been outspoken about his concerns over Yntegra’s Rosewood Exuma development. and has threatened to halt work on his $75m project and abandon his ambitions if he is ignored.

He said the first phase of his project, costing $25m, is nearly complete and that the planned second phase, including a large beach club at an estimated $35m, would require doubling the construction workforce and creating dozens of permanent jobs. Most staff already employed hail from Black Point.