Good for you, Ragged Islanders! Don't let the idiot Government stick you on the Reservation like the Indians. Go back to YOUR island and rebuild YOUR homes and don't let anyone stop you.

I knew this plan sounded familiar... oh yes, relocating Native Americans to the reservation? Relocating Polish Jews during World War II? I have spent time on all these islands. These are real people who live in a place that is their HOME. Doesn't matter what it costs, you can't just throw them all on a bus (or in this case a mailboat) and dump them somewhere else. Even moving them all to one settlement on their own island is ridiculous. They would still need power and an airport just as much as they do now. And you can't just abandon the roads - the road to the salt plant on Inagua, where everybody works? The road to Pirate Wells on Mayaguana, where all the tourists go? The road to the ferry from Acklins to Crooked, which a lot of people commute to work on? And what about all the little farm plots all along these roads, and the cascarilla groves on Acklins that people make a living off? How would YOU like it if Government told YOU to just walk away from the home you've always lived in? get real!!

This is really, really sad. We lost the Carl Hiaasen of the Bahamas. We will miss him as a good friend, a fellow "army brat", and also as a great writer and dragon slayer, who brought so many important issues to the attention of the Bahamian people. Fair winds, Larry, we will all miss you.

Government goes to all these environmental conferences, signs all the pledges to save the planet, stop global warming, create lots of parks, use renewable energy - and then they get back home and pull a stunt like this. A few years ago, the Queen dissolved the Turks and Caicos government and took the islands back because of "government corruption and selling public land to foreign developers". Maybe we should drop Liz a line, ask her to do the same thing here....

Am I missing something here? Surely it's a GOOD thing to be a tax haven. Let's get on that blacklist, and attract a bunch of rich people who will come to live here, or keep their money here, or start a company here. What's wrong with that?

I have been using a gas tankless water heater for 25 years. There is always hot water instantly available, and no wasted energy to keep water hot for no reason. I wouldn't think of using anything else - it's a no-brainer.

Here is a list of just some of the things that Southworth asked for in 2014. No wonder he doesn't want anyone to see the Heads of Agreement.

Exemption from customs duty on all materials, equipment, etc.
Exemption from stamp duties and excise taxes for all materials, equipment, etc.
Exemption from property taxes for 30 years.
Exemption from taxation of any earnings, including rentals etc., for 20 years.
Waiver of customs duty and stamp tax on any vehicles, including golf carts.
Waiver of customs duty on livestock.
Waiver of taxes on fuel.
They also demanded whatever Crown Grants they might need, plus dredging permits, plus permits to mine sand from Little Harbour to put on the golf course and Winding Bay beach.
Also landing fee concessions at the airport.
Also 27 long-term work permits and residency cards.

Fred tells it like it is...

And Tommy Southworth tells it like it isn't - again. His "multiple public hearings" are actually three, and two of those were requested by Little Harbour, not by the developer or by Government.

The first was Jan. 2015, where Daddy Southworth said "I don't know" to most questions, and got the facts wrong on the others (like a maximum boat size of 35 feet, when half the slips- according to the plans - are for 50 to 60 foot boats). The second was Sept. 2015, where Tommy and co. said they would have a full time generator, R/O plant, and waste treatment plant, all of which Daddy denied a few days later. And the third was June 2016, where Tommy told everyone that Little Harbour was full of E. coli and unswimmable, which also got denied by Daddy a while later.

So nobody has ever even told us what they really plan to do, let alone asked us what we think about it. But by now, they've probably figured out what we think about it...

Thank you Larry for spelling it all out. I live in a solar community in Abaco - no BEC available - and never understand why more people don't go this route. We have lots of sunshine all year, and no need for heating, unlike Germany or Canada. But Germany and Canada both have lots more solar power than we do.

On a personal level, our community never loses power during or after a hurricane. We never have blackouts and brownouts. We never lose appliances because of a power surge. And we never get a bill! Yes, there is an upfront investment, but once that is paid off (with the money that would have been given to BEC every month) then you have free electricity.

It's long past time this country got serious about renewable energy. Stop talking about it, just do it!

Just a few comments on Mr. T. Southworth's statements:
1. RDA did not "allege" there would only be 2 jobs. That figure came from the Abaco Club's own EIA.
2. This is not "an old EIA', it's the only eia. And it was "updated" by a letter from Islands by Design in May 2016 which said that the number of employees "may potentially exceed the stated maximum" of two. So now it's four? Well, that will save the economy.
3. Oh, pardon me, now it's 1000 construction jobs. So 1 out of every 7 people of working age on Abaco will be building houses at Winding Bay. And with a crew of 15 to 20 (Mr. Southworth's figures, not mine), that means they will be building between 50 and 66 houses all at the same time. All because of a marina with no power, no water, a 4 foot controlling depth, at the end of 2 miles of dirt road and surrounded by hostile natives. Amazing.
4. The only honest thing here is Mr. S's statement that the proceeds will go back into the Abaco Club. And guess who owns the Club right now? Mr. S's daddy!