The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune. 

Six years have passed since Hurricane Dorian’s devastating assault on Grand Bahama. Six years of promises, press conferences, and carefully worded commitments. And yet, for the people of Grand Bahama—those who stayed, those who struggled, those who endured—the island remains suspended in a cruel limbo.

Enough is enough.

The time for polite patience has long expired. Grand Bahamians have borne more than their fair share of hardship—economic stagnation, failing infrastructure, and a sense of abandonment from both the public and private entities who pledged to rebuild and rejuvenate the nation’s second city. On this anniversary, there should be no more delays, no more excuses, no more hollow assurances.

The Grand Bahama Port Authority must step forward with urgency and vision. Its mandate is clear: to stimulate and sustain growth in Freeport. Instead, too often we have witnessed drift and indecision. This cannot continue. A Port Authority unwilling—or unable—to deliver is a Port Authority failing the very people it exists to serve.

And at the heart of this malaise lie the enduring disputes between the Hayward and St George families, whose decades-long ownership has too often turned Freeport’s future into a family feud rather than a national priority. This squabbling, this paralysis at the top, has stifled opportunity, stunted growth, and kept Grand Bahama locked in a holding pattern. Until this stranglehold is addressed, the island’s true potential will remain out of reach.

The Government, too, has work overdue. The redevelopment of the Grand Bahama International Airport is not a luxury; it is a lifeline. Without efficient, modern air access, the island cannot hope to attract the investment and tourism it desperately needs. Plans and partnerships have been floated. Now they must materialize.

Meanwhile, MSC Shipping’s involvement in Freeport Harbour holds the potential to transform the island’s maritime fortunes. But potential does not put food on the table. What Grand Bahama needs are shovels in the ground, jobs created, and opportunities realised—not announcements that gather dust.

And then there are the properties that stand as symbols of lost promise: the Xanadu, once a jewel of glamour, now a ghost of itself. The Grand Lucayan, whose endless redevelopment saga has tested even the most patient Bahamian’s resolve. While we welcome the Government’s recent announcement of a sale of this historic property, each month of inactivity compounds the pain of the people and erodes confidence that anyone is truly fighting for Freeport’s future.

Grand Bahama deserves more. Grand Bahamians have suffered more than any community in this country over the past six years. Their resilience is not a license for endless delay; it is a call to action.

This is the moment for accountability. Every stakeholder—the Port Authority, the government, MSC, and private developers—must finally deliver on the promises that have been made time and time again. The future of the island cannot be mortgaged for another anniversary.

Grand Bahama cannot wait another year. The people have waited long enough.

GRAND BAHAMA BUSINESSMAN

September 3, 2025.