The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis on Tuesday defended his administration’s record on Grand Bahama, pushing back against criticism that several headline projects announced early in his term — including the Grand Lucayan Resort, a new international airport and a new hospital — remain undelivered more than four years later.

Addressing the long-stalled Grand Lucayan redevelopment, Mr Davis said work continues on what he repeatedly described as a complex and carefully sequenced transaction.

“We are making steady progress. It is a complex transaction requiring careful sequencing. It requires proper approvals, coordination, and structured execution. That is exactly how we are approaching it,” he said.

Acknowledging growing public frustration, Mr Davis said he understood the anxiety over the pace of progress but rejected claims of failure.

“I understand the anxiety people feel," he said. "I understand the frustration when the pace feels longer than anyone wants. I also understand the temptation for some to turn every stage of work into drama, to create noise, and to claim failure before the work reaches its next phase.”

He reserved his sharpest criticism for those he said were responsible for the problems now surrounding the project.

“The criticisms coming loudest from those who created the problem, they should hang their heads in shame and gratitude,” he said.

“We are only concerned with the development of Grand Bahama. Not the incompetent political scammers who brought us this mess. We will ignore the noise. We will keep doing what serious governments do. Protect workers, protect the public interest, move the project forward step by step in a way that is credible and sustainable.”

Mr Davis also rejected suggestions that Grand Bahama has been sidelined, despite the continued closure of major projects announced at the start of his administration.

“There are people rooting for the failure of Grand Bahama. Some see political gain in doubt. Some want to keep the island trapped in old arguments and old disappointments. That mindset has no place in the future of Grand Bahama. Success is the only option because the people of Grand Bahama deserve nothing less,” he said.

The Prime Minister said the absence of ribbon-cuttings should not be confused with a lack of progress.

“Things do not happen overnight. And I do understand the frustrations and sometimes the impatience of the electorate who become impatient at times over the delivery of something,” he said.

He argued that his government inherited major projects with no viable plans in place.

“But one has to understand what we inherited when we came to office," he said. "There's no plan in place for the opening and/or redevelopment of Grand Lucaya. There's no plan in place for any of those issues or any of those projects that you say have not been opened yet. But look at where we are today.”

Mr Davis said the country’s economic condition when his administration took office made immediate delivery impossible.

“We inherited a country that was under collapse. Don't ask me. As a journalist, you go and Google the IMF report that I call them the medical doctor … to see whether or not we are healthy or not,” he said.

“They would tell you that we are very unhealthy, that the country's economy was in the intensive care unit on life support, and they'll tell you what they were advising me to do.”

While conceding that several projects remain unfinished, Mr Davis insisted tangible progress is visible.

“Turning keys, openings, even though those things have not happened, other things have happened,” he said.

“The economy has recovered, but recovery was never the end game for me. It was to grow the economy, and the Grand Bahama economy is growing.”

He pointed to ongoing construction activity, including the hospital and the Grand Bahama Shipyard, and questioned whether critics would prefer those projects be halted.

When asked about former Grand Lucayan employees who were laid off without pay, Mr Davis said: “They are being paid.”

When the Davis administration took office in September 2021, it pledged to redevelop the Grand Lucayan, construct a new international airport terminal and deliver a modern hospital for Grand Bahama. The government cancelled a prior sale agreement for the resort in December 2021, pursued a deal with Electra America in 2022 that later collapsed, and in May 2025 announced a heads of agreement with Concord Wilshire for an $800m redevelopment.