In my opinion Freeport can be fixed by the following.

Both the government and the GBPA jointly commit (in a public forum) to revert to the original hawksbill creek agreement and sign a joint document to follow its original principles and obligations.

The government agrees to end its war over the GBPA and it licensees and advises all government departments to cease and desist in making business as difficult as possible.

That the GBPA signs on to take care of its original obligations over a 5 year step plan to bring them into full compliance or they are forced to sell their shares in all holdings. This includes their immediate commitment to the airport and hospital etc.

That the government signs to no longer pursue control of the GBPA or its regulatory power and allows the GBPA to be the only regulatory body for investments etc.

It might be your opinion that the speech was not responsible for Freeports history of failures however, the facts speak for themselves that the history behind those failures began with that speech. People, companies and money fled the island almost overnight and it was the singular event that disrupted the vision and dream of Freeports explosive development. Since then the Government has been focused on the GBPA and its licensees failure.

I don't ever want to use it personally and to be frank, I believe it negatively effects some habitual users.

I just think it's absolutely ridiculous that we waste police, judicial time, public funds and ultimately take away the freedom or impose fines on some of the most underprivileged in our society.

I also feel it's bad to make a fiasco out of criminalizing the 1 unlucky tourist out of the thousands that probably partake, it's an embarrassment to our country!

It's also a crying shame that those that need or even feel they need it for medical purposes are denied it or risk imprisonment and shame if caught.

I feel these reasons alone should be enough to decriminalize it but to go even further and legalize/regulate/promote it may actually benefit us as a country for once, it may also stop our young men from killing each other over it.

Just please, never let number bosses own the industry.

So, the domes only cost $135,294.12 each! What a bargain!

They anticipated the domes would cost $30,046.95 each!

For 6.4 million dollars they could have provided 640 family's 10k each for home repairs. They could have built 53 affordable homes at 120k each!

The saddest thing is the real cost per dome was probable double the 135k once you include administration costs, demolition, storage, waste, the other failed contractor etc.

"Three years and still nothing, no proper airport, hospital, hotel, potable water, nothing"

We are so desperate that we think giving a cruise line a chunk of our island to cut apart is a good thing yet we will see no benefit from it what so ever.

Do they know something we don't? Which airport will they use? Where will they stay and what will they do whilst here?

No offence but the majority of people in Nassau can never understand what it was like to live through the storm and subsequent aftermath. To sit in a fancy ballroom all dressed up, mingling and taking photos is insulting.
The whole thing is a poor, tasteless decision, the anniversary should always be a somber national day of mourning where we contemplate the suffering of all those affected.

That's ridiculous. I certainly don't trust the police or prosecutors with my freedom. Do you want to be locked up in one of the worst prisons in the 3rd world with no bail for 5-10 years awaiting trial for an offence you did not commit, purely because an officer or prosecutor was lazy or vindictive that day?

How about we reform our judiciary? Maybe we could take cases to trial in a "reasonable" amount of time like our constitution demands.

Maybe we could reform our laws and keep the poor man with a marijuana cigarette out of jail and instead fill the space with gang members.

Perhaps we should consider that when these young men have "nothing to live for" it directly correlates to life having no value for them.

It is wonderful to celebrate our local heroes and to remember the poor souls that we lost.

It is also extremely frustrating to know that time and resources can be spent on this whilst absolutely nothing has been done to mitigate or at least understand the affects of the next monster storm.

Can we at least have some research and surveys done to show the true extent of the flooding, can we see how the loss of the mangroves and pine forest will effect us in the future? Can we see how opening fishing hole road would slow the flooding?

Can we set up a heliport for emergencies on high ground with warehouses that can be used for storage, evacuation, medial triage?

Can we set up a contract with the cruise lines to evacuate people to Nassau?

Can we get our real estate gangsters under control to act responsibly by informing people they are buying in a flood zone.

Can we amend our building code to the risk of the area?

Can the Port designate some land for business/commercial that doesn't readily flood.

We will flood again! what is being done?

Maybe the mini rally, complete with supporters hooting and praising plus all the ministers grand standing wasn't only embarrassing but may have been seen as a desperate act and excellent leverage by the purchasers.