By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

FREE National Movement (FNM) MP Kwasi Thompson yesterday criticised the government over the long-delayed Sandals resort in Exuma, citing missed deadlines and a lack of details on the project’s completion and the full terms of the deal.

Mr Thompson called the lack of progress another broken promise by the Davis administration that is hurting the local economy.

“One year has passed since the resort closed its doors for transition, yet not a single piece of construction has begun. Exumians are still waiting for clarity while livelihoods hang in the balance,” he said in a statement yesterday. 

His concerns came days after Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper told reporters he expects the project should begin “very soon.”

The redevelopment of the Sandals Emerald Bay Exuma property into a family-friendly Beaches resort has long been anticipated as a major boost to the island’s economy, with hundreds of jobs and a significant increase in tourism traffic expected.

The timeline for the project, however, has shifted several times. In August 2024, Mr 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 and that the rebranding would begin once the necessary permits were secured that fall.

In January, Chuck Roberts, managing director at Sandals Resorts Bahamas, confirmed the resort was still in the process of obtaining the required construction approvals. However, at the same time Sandals was in a dispute with the Department of Inland Revenue over the latter’s audit findings that the Emerald Bay resort only reported 40 percent of revenues earned.

Earlier this week, Mr Cooper confirmed that the delays stemmed from the tax dispute, but said that issue has now been “substantially settled.”

“The terms are agreed. We anticipate signing an agreement very soon,”  Mr Cooper said. 

Yesterday, Mr Thompson described the government’s latest statements on the Exuma project as part of a familiar pattern of empty promises.

He said similar assurances were made regarding the Grand Bahama International Airport and the Grand Lucayan resort, yet in both cases, no meaningful progress has been made.

Mr Thompson called on the government to release the full details if the agreement is truly ready to be signed, noting that the “time for talk has long passed.”

“Bahamians deserve to know: What incentives were granted? What local hiring and vendor commitments are included? How will the government coordinate airlift, utilities, and public services to match the projected demand? And what safeguards are in pplace to prevent another tax dispute from threatening an entire community?”