The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

BUSINESSMAN Toby Smith said it “would be marvellous for Bahamians” if the Davis administration can resolve the Paradise Island land disagreement he has with Royal Caribbean before the matter goes to court in March 2022.

Clint Watson, the press secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, has said Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis believes he has the solution to the matter and will sit with Mr Smith and RCL representatives to discuss it.

“Once an alternative is proposed to me I will give it due consideration,” Mr Smith said yesterday. “It’s for me to wait for the Prime Minister to say ‘I’ve done my fact finding, I’ve gotten the chance to review the files, this is my solution that I can see, come in let’s sit down and have a chat.’ Maybe this administration wants to extend my lease to be comparable to RCL by increasing it to 100 years. Maybe they’ll reduce what they’re charging me because I’m paying more than RCL is. I will wait and see what they have come up with.”

Mr Smith received a letter on January 7, 2020 indicating that land will be leased to his company, Paradise Island Lighthouse and Beach Club Company Limited. The Minnis administration, however, later agreed to let RCL lease three acres of the land approved for Mr Smith. The former administration has emphasised the benefits RCL’s project would have for Bahamians.

“I have not sat down with the Prime Minister as yet,” Mr Smith said yesterday. “I empathise with him and the fact that he has a lot on his plate right now and I trust his word and I’ll be happy to sit to the table at the appropriate time.

“The government wants to gather the facts surrounding the position that I am in and once they complete their reconnaissance of gathering the facts then I would imagine that would be the appropriate time for us to sit down and discuss the matter. I’m not pressuring the Prime Minister to hurry up and come up with a solution. I think it would be marvellous for Bahamians to witness that this matter can be sorted out with my lease being honoured prior to appearing in court.”

Mr Smith claimed the Minnis administration never presented an alternative option to him.

“They just stuck it down my throat,” he said.