MARINA and environmental chiefs yesterday asserted that despite “relief all around” that the Exuma-wide moorings deal has been aborted there are still fears it will be “repackaged” and return in a different form.
• ‘Relief all around’ but concern it will re-emerge
• Ex-BNT chief queries environment justification
• And marinas chief still ‘dumbfounded’ by saga
Moorings quickly agreed not to go through with it because they knew the deal would not withstand public scrutiny.
Eric Carey, the exBahamas National Trust (BNT) executive director, also challenged the Government’s environmental justifications for the nowaborted deal on the basis that many of the 49 sites selected for the Bahamas Moorings lease did not impact or cover “sensitive habitats”.
Informing Tribune Business that “what’s next is the question everyone is asking”, he added that his own review of the 49 sitesplus feedback from research scientists - suggested that
Opposition demands PM ‘dismiss a senior advisor’
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
THE Opposition’s leader last night demanded that the Prime Minister dismiss an unidentified “senior advisor” over alleged “conflicts of interest” stemming from the now-aborted Bahamas Moorings deal.
Michael Pintard, in a statement demanding the Government “come clean” over the controversy, and pledging that the Free National Movement (FNM) will not permit it to be “swept under the rug”, called on those involved in the Exuma-wide moorings scheme to be held to account.
And, while not naming who he was referring to, the Opposition leader blasted: “We are certain that the Prime Minister is also aware of the conflicts of interest that tie the president and other principals
of Bahamas Moorings to another senior advisor in his office. That advisor must also be dismissed along with any other public officials who have been aware of these conflicts of interest but did nothing.”
Mr Pintard’s statement came as Tribune Business uncovered and confirmed further coincidences involving Bahamas Moorings’ address. This newspaper’s own records, plus a VAT registrants list from 2016, reveal that 138 Wulff Road was also once the home of Bahamas Cargo & Logistics (BCL), a company owned by the family of the “senior advisor” to whom the FNM leader was likely referring. This newspaper reported yesterday how a bill of lading, detailing Bahamas Moorings’ importation of anchors and link chains from China, gives the company’s address as Suite
the seabed for consisted of sand as opposed to coral reefs, seagrass meadows or other “hard bottom” types.
Many instead appeared to have been selected for their commercial potential and Bahamas Moorings’ likely earnings, with Mr Carey pointing to one - Big
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
THE Government must use today’s midyear Budget to justify and “elaborate” on why it believes it will hit its fullyear deficit target despite needing a more than fourfold increase in its second half surplus to do so.
Gowon Bowe, a member of the original Fiscal Responsibility Council, the watchdog created to verify and analyse the accuracy of the Government’s fiscal projections, voiced scepticism that the Davis administration will meet its original $69.8m deficit goal for the 2024-2025 full-year despite the Government’s own public expressions of confidence that it will do exactly that. With the six-month deficit to end-December 2024 standing at $394.8m, a sum more than five times’ greater than the 12-month target, Mr Bowe told Tribune Business that the Government will need
Majors Cay - as a location where “hundreds of boats” go to see the swimming pigs.
And Peter Maury, the Association of the Bahamas Marinas (ABM)
president, who said he had been “dumbfounded” by the moorings/anchorage scheme when it was first disclosed, suggested to this newspaper that the Government and Bahamas
Budget
• ‘Why confident four times’ higher secondhalf surplus met?’
• Member of first Fiscal Council calls for ‘tangible evidence’
• Says ‘more credible way’ to revise targets to realistic goal
revenues to exceed its total spending by $325m during the 2024-2025 second half to achieve its initial forecast. And that $325m ‘surplus’ is more than four times’ greater than the $72m generated during the second half of the previous 2023-2024 fiscal year.
The Fidelity Bank (Bahamas) chief executive said that, with no “abnormalities” in terms of major revenue boosts or spending reductions identified by the Government, the fiscal performance to-date
“doesn’t inspire confidence that the projected deficit is going to be met”. He argued that, rather than sticking to the line that it will meet its original forecasts, a “more credible way” would be for the Government to use today’s mid-year Budget as an opportunity to admit it may have been “too optimistic” with some of its projections, identify areas where it can realistically claw back some of the first-half deficit, and present a revised figure that is
Couple fail to halt Sandals’ chapel
By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor nhartnell@tribunemedia.net
A BAHAMIAN couple have failed in their bid to halt Sandals Royal Bahamian’s construction of its newly-opened overwater chapel and dock upon which it sits.
Justice Camille Darville-Gomez, putting her reasons into writing in a February 25, 2025, verdict, rejected efforts by Basil and Margot Barnett, proprietors of Bahamas Medical & Surgical Supplies, to obtain an interim injunction from the Supreme Court on the
basis that they had failed to include the Cable Beachbased resort as a party to their Judicial Review action.
The couple, who live in close proximity to Sandals Royal Bahamian, had also sought Orders requiring multiple government regulators and agencies - the port controller, director of physical planning, director of environmental planning and protection, and director of the Bahamas Public Parks and Beaches Authority - to disclose all details of the resort’s applications for permits and the associated approvals.
This, too, was refused by Justice Darville-Gomez on the grounds that a disclosure Order would be “premature” coming ahead of any Supreme Court decision to give the Barnetts permission to proceed with their Judicial Review challenge. She added that “entitlement to these disclosures rests primarily or solely” on whether the case is allowed to proceed, noting there is “a substantial dispute” over whether the couple have ‘sufficient interest’ in the matter under the new Civil Procedure Rules 2022.
And he warned that the agreement, which effectively privatised all feasible, safe mooring locations in the Exuma Cays outside the Exuma Land and Sea Park by putting them into the hands of a private monopoly, will likely be revived at a later date when public attention is focused elsewhere with the names and identities of those involved changed.
Tribune Business previously disclosed the links
realistic for both domestic and international markets.
The Ministry of Finance, in last week hitting back at Tribune Business reporting of its fiscal numbers, reasserted its optimism that the traditionally revenue-rich second half of the fiscal year will enable it to reverse course and bring the 2024-2025 deficit down towards its original $69.8m full-year target by end-June.
This message was reinforced by Michael Halkitis, minister of economic affairs, who said: “Yes, absolutely. I’m confident we will meet our fiscal goals. Budgets are very cyclical and, especially for us, when the majority of revenue collections
Detailing the dispute, Justice Darville-Gomez wrote of the Barnetts: “It is their belief that Sandals is engaged in the unlawful construction of an overwater chapel, no public authority has demonstrated that Sandals has all the necessary permits for its construction, or that the regulatory regime necessary to supervise the construction of such overwater structures is in place.”
The couple also argued that no Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) or Environmental Management Plan (EMP) had ever been produced for the project. “Therefore, they fear that there is no indication that the myriad attendant
Resort’s bookings surge amid private pilot fall-out
By FAY SIMMONS Tribune Business Reporter jsimmons@tribunemedia.net
AN Abaco resort proprietor yesterday disclosed February bookings surged after a slow start to 2025 to give her confidence that a strong winter season will last into the summer months.
Molly McIntosh, the Bluff House Beach Resort and Marina’s owner, told Tribune Business that the Abaco resort has booked
a number of spring-time weddings, boosting occupancy and allowing it to establish a new customer base. She explained that large events are not only profitable, but introduce new guests to the Family Islands who resorts and local businesses can entice into becoming repeat visitors.
“It was a little slower in January than we would have liked, but February picked up a lot of reservations. Normally, January is when we get a lot of
reservations but this year, not so much. But February is going really well and it is really looking like it’s going to be a good spring and summer,” said Ms McIntosh.
“We’ve got about six or seven weddings coming through this Spring. So that’s always a good good revenue generator, and brings lots of people to The Bahamas that might not have otherwise come. You’ve got one person making a decision where 50 or 100 people are going
for the wedding, and they bring a lot of people that are new customers to us.
It’s great to bring in new business, and we have a chance to impress and get them to come back again.” Ms McIntosh added that although forward bookings are strong for both Bluff House’s marina and rooms, private pilots have logged frequent complaints about the fee increases imposed on the sector in the 20242025 Budget.
ERIC CAREY PETER MAURY
GOWON BOWE
MICHAEL PINTARD PHILIP DAVIS KC
TAX AUTHORITIES GO PUBLIC IN EFFORT TO BOOST COMPLIANCE
THE Department of Inland Revenue (DIR) has moved to bring its services closer to the Bahamian taxpayers it serves in a bid to boost compliance and improve public engagement.
The tax collection and administration authority, in a statement, said it has hosted several pop-up events and workshops to provide hands-on guidance to taxpayers. It launched the initiative in early 2025 with a Town Hall meeting at Calvary Deliverance Church, where business owners and individuals gathered to discuss VAT regulations and compliance measures.
Beaumont Todd, the Department of Inland Revenue’s training and communications manager, said: “We recognise that taxation can be daunting for many business owners, especially first-time registrants.
TAX AUTHORITIES BRING HELP TO THE TAXPAYER
THE Department of Inland Revenue has partnered with Aliv to provide residents on various islands with convenient access to information and assistance on issues related to Business Licenses, real property tax and VAT. A two-day ‘pop-up’ event took place at the Aliv store in Lucaya Shopping Centre, on February 24-25, from 10am to 3pm.
Photo:Jamika Culmer/ BIS
“Our goal is to demystify the process, answer questions directly and provide one-on-one assistance. These pop-ups and workshops allow us to meet taxpayers where they are and ensure they have the necessary knowledge and resources.”
The pop-up events, held at high-traffic locations such as the Mall at Marathon, have generated a strong response from the public. In collaboration with Aliv, the Department of Inland Revenue has expanded these pop-ups to the mobile operator’s locations on various islands and in Nassau, further increasing access to its services. It added that business owners, new entrepreneurs and individuals alike have taken advantage of these opportunities to seek clarity on VAT registration, filing procedures, Business Licence renewals and other tax-related matters. The approach allows
attendees to engage directly with Department of Inland Revenue officials, ensuring they leave with a clear understanding of their tax obligations.
One attendee, a small business owner, said: “Having this kind of access to experts without having to schedule a formal meeting is invaluable. The team answered all my questions and even guided me through the online filing process right here,.”
Beyond pop-up events, the Department of Inland Revenue is also visiting high schools to educate students on taxation, financial responsibility and compliance. It is also organising upcoming field trips to its offices, providing students with a first-hand look at tax administration and encouraging young entrepreneurship.
The agency said it has also expanded its virtual workshop offerings. Held on the first and last
Wednesday of each month, these workshops focus on key tax topics such as VAT payments, Business Licence renewals and real property tax payments. The next scheduled workshops will tackle VAT payments and Business Licence fees on March 5, followed by a real property tax session on March 26.
Further strengthening its outreach, the Department of Inland Revenue is also hosting a financial symposium on March 19 and 20 at the National Baseball Stadium. This event will bring together financial experts, business leaders
and government officials to discuss taxation, business growth strategies and financial literacy, ensuring attendees leave with valuable insights into tax compliance and economic development.
“Not everyone can visit our offices during regular hours, so these virtual workshops offer an alternative for those who need assistance but have tight schedules,” Mr Todd explained. “We want to ensure that every business owner - from small startups to large corporations - has access to the support they need.
“These initiatives are about more than just compliance. They are about education. We want to create a culture where people understand the ‘why’ behind taxation and how it contributes to national development. The more informed the public is, the more compliant and proactive they become.
“We want to remove the barriers that make tax compliance seem difficult. By bringing our services directly to the people, we’re ensuring that no one is left behind in understanding and fulfilling their tax responsibilities.”
Gov’t urged to justify deficit optimism in mid-year Budget
- the Business Licence, the boater registration [fees] and real property tax and such - that revenue comes in by March or April.”
The Government’s stance is that end-December’s $394.8m deficit is merely the half-time score, and that it will make up the lost ground over the year’s second-half that coincides with peak economic activity associated with the winter tourism season. But, while it touted the $72m fiscal surplus generated during the prior year’s second-half, it will have to achieve four times’ that to come within range of its 2024-2025 fullyear goal. Without “tangible evidence” as to how this will realistically be accomplished, Mr Bowe said of the Government’s response in a recent interview: “Again, unfortunately, it appears it has run to the PR route, messaging: ‘Don’t worry, just trust us’ versus elaborating on the elements only lightly alluded to.
“It does not surprise me there is not the willingness to issue more details as I’d hoped. That would be the smarter and more mature. Even if you take that $72m surplus, currently you are $325m behind what you had projected [for the full year]. Even if that surplus grows by double it will still not get you to your original projection.
“I take it as a bit insulting to the general populace that ‘we’re confident we’ll still meet the deficit target’ without elaborating on the details. I’d much prefer that they elaborate on the details in the mid-year Budget.”
Expanding on this theme, Mr Bowe added: “If you have a situation where you are clearing arrears, so that expenditure in the second half is significantly reduced, it would be less concerning. Equally, if you have a more significant revenue bump it would be less concerning.
“I think the Government really needs to understand it is not sufficient to state ‘we believe we’re going
to meet our full-year projections’ without tangible evidence as to why that belief is sustainable and reasonable. When we see the level of deficit as it stands, in the absence of abnormal activity on the revenue or expenditure side, that’s not going to be significantly reduced in the second half.
“So there’s no real expectation that you will be able to make up that ground in that time. Put it this way: I have no reason to believe there will be an extra Business Licence or real property tax bump that’s going to take them well above and have the level of surplus to realistically say the full-year [deficit] is going to be less than $200m. There hasn’t been any sufficient explanation up to this point of abnormalities that allow me to say that,” he continued.
“The first set of numbers and the half-year results don’t inspire confidence that the projected deficit is going to be met.”
URCA conducts research on communications usage
THE Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) yesterday said it has hired a consult to assess access to, and use of, information and communications technology (ICT) by Bahamians.
The regulator, in a statement, said Caribe Sigma Research Company will “conduct a comprehensive nationwide survey” as part of its efforts to evaluate and enhance universal service obligations (USO) in the electronic communications sector.
It added that Caribe Sigma will undertake research into the availability, accessibility and affordability of ICT services, particularly in the Family Islands. The findings from this study will play a critical role in helping URCA shape policies to
Mr Bowe also argued that the mid-year point of the Budget cycle was not too early to forecast where the full-year number will end up as any extra revenue or spending obligations would likely be known to the Ministry of Finance at that point.
The Ministry of Finance last week blamed the $394.8m deficit for the six months to end-December 2024 on “front-loading” capital spending outlays for school repairs and critical roadworks. These expenditures were not broken down, but it hinted that this trend, which saw capital spending increase by $86m or 64.1 percent to $220.1m year-over-year during the first six months, will not be repeated during the second half.
However, the Ministry of Finance gave no explanation for the ramp-up in fixed cost spending during the 2024-2025 first half. Recurrent expenditure on civil salaries, rents and goods/ services rose by $192.2m, or almost $200m, to strike $1.619bn during the six months to end-December 2024 when compared to the same period in the prior year.
Much of the $192.2m increase, some $94.9m or
promote digital inclusion, ensuring all Bahamians, regardless of their geographic location, have equitable access to essential communication services.
The research will involve data collection at both the household and individual levels across selected islands, focusing on identifying unserved and underserved communities; barriers to ICT adoption; and opportunities to enhance connectivity. The results will inform targeted interventions by URCA aimed at bridging the digital divide and fostering economic and social development through improved access to technology.
URCA reassured that the data gathered will be used solely for the purpose of advancing universal meaningful connectivity, supporting national development and ensuring no community is left behind in the digital era. Caribe Sigma will begin shortly, and survey teams will be reaching out to households and businesses across The Bahamas.
close to half, came from a 37.7 percent year-over-year rise in the Government’s spending on goods and services, which jumped to $346.6m compared with $251.7m during the same period in the prior fiscal year. Several observers have already privately voiced their suspicions that the increase in overall spending, and especially that for goods and services, is driven by the fact that the Government is paying off outstanding bills owed to its vendors which were kicked into 2024-2025 from the previous fiscal year to allow it to meet its targets and avoid triggering fiscal responsibility legislation requiring publication of a corrective action plan.
Mr Bowe, noting that there was “no mention of clearing up payables from the prior year”, said both the Government and Opposition’s responses to the half-year fiscal performance were driven by political imperatives with a general election looming on the horizon.
“The Opposition has gone to the extreme that ‘the sky is falling, the sky is falling’ which, again, is not sensible rhetoric to put out into the marketplace
because, even if you succeed in the general election, are you going to doing something radically different?” he added. “And I think the governing party responded not as the Government but as a political party moving into the general election.”
Mr Bowe said he knew “for a fact” that international markets, including rating agencies, investors and bondholders, had believed that the Government’s original $69.8m deficit forecast “would not be met” and The Bahamas has “not done anything to dispel that belief”.
Calling on the Government to recognise that much of its externally-held foreign currency debt is traded and listed on the international markets, he added: “I think we need to move to governance, not politics. The most important thing is that they [foreign markets] have confidence in our pronouncements and we do not have them second guessing or making their own projections.
“They can say things are not as rosy as forecast, but the Government is mostly transparent and is clear with warnings about what is going on in our fiscal affairs.”
AI, TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION
CRITICAL TO GREATER PROFITS
By FAY SIMMONS Tribune Business Reporter
THE Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation’s (BCCEC) chief executive yesterday said the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies is key to greater business profits.
Dr Leo Rolle told Tribune Business that such practices will enable the private sector to scale their operations faster and shift employees to more targeted tasks that can supplement revenue generation.
“We encourage and we applaud businesses that use technology in a way where they are able to scale faster and be more efficient,” said Dr Rolle. “When a business is more efficient and they can scale faster, it increases their bottom line, it increases their profitability, and they’re better able to utilise staff for tasks that are not able to be done by technology.”
Speaking after the Simplified Group of Companies unveiled what it described as the first AI-powered loan officer, Dr Rolle encouraged the Bahamian business community to use technology as a supplement to human labour. And, while some tasks may be replaced due to these
DR LEO ROLLE
advances, those employees can be trained for roles that cannot be performed by AI.
“While there probably will be an offset or shifting of some jobs, as not as many human personnel will be needed for some of the mundane tasks that the technology can do, it will spur more job creation in things like animation, programming and data analytics,” said Dr Rolle.
“In order to be proactive, begin training and developing your staff in other areas. While there may not be a need for someone to manually enter data, someone will have to analyse the data. There may no longer be a need for some to collect information for the verification process, but someone will have to verify the information is correct. Someone also has to program the all the various functions.”
He added that the global market has evolved to a point that consumers have become used to shopping 24 hours a day via online platforms, and integrating technology into the local market will allow firms to expand their reach and generate revenue outside of typical operation hours.
“From a business standpoint, COVID taught us that you have to ensure that people can access your goods and services from anywhere in the world. Tech platforms allow people to purchase and interface shipping and logistics at a finger-tip. Imagine, then, the revenue generation, where your business can actually be generating income while the business is closed, because people can be shopping online,” said Dr Rolle.
“This is how a lot of the major conglomerates have been able to continuously increase and expand because they are able to infuse technology. People are able to order, ship and purchase at the click of a button. But you still will have those clients that would rather purchase from the store.
“By making both of those options available, you expand your market territory, you expand your reach, and then you’re able to use technology to infiltrate markets you
would not have, otherwise, because of geographic location, been able to access and so we feel like this is a step in the right direction.”
Dr Rolle said the Bahamian technology industry also has great potential and can boost employment by creating new jobs through this emerging sector. Acknowledging the lack of professionals in the local industry, he said it presents an opportunity for training and development through local tertiary education institutions and the National Apprenticeship Programme.
“We think that it will become a great industry. It will readily make jobs available that are not necessarily available. We know that there is a lack of persons in the technology industry, and so it creates an opportunity, because now there’s a gap that needs to be filled,” said Dr Rolle.
“Working with the University of the Bahamas, BTVI and the National Apprenticeship Programme will allow us to identify key areas and address those gaps that will be become available.” He added that the Chamber has recently created an AI sub-committee, a subset of its digital transformation committee, that will assist businesses with integrating the technology and help them with emerging challenges.
FLY FISHING PARTICIPANTS FOCUS ON LOCAL CONTROL
By ANNELIA NIXON
anixon@tribunemedia.net
GRANTS and other investments being directed to the fly fishing industry should be used to educate Bahamians while protecting the sector from foreign involvement, a fisherman argued yesterday.
While grateful and excited about the funding being pumped into an industry with vast untapped potential, Curry Lewis, proprietor of Lewy’s Bonefish Adventure, warned that Bahamians’ lack of knowledge on fly fishing leaves the industry open for foreigners to exploit.
Speaking after the Government provided $150,000 to the Bahamas Fly Fishing Industry Association (BFFIA), and an additional $50,000 to the Small Business Development Centre (SBDC), Mr Lewis said: “We do have a lot of foreigners that come in and they put on fly fishing. One day I was out chatting, and I was with a client in the eastern area.
“And as we were manoevering in an area, I saw this white gentleman. He was on the beach and he was looking at us, watching us. And at one point, he ran up to the building where he was staying, and then he come back out with a fly rod in his hand.
“And so I said to the guy he’s going to come and try follow us and see what we’re doing. As we pass by, he started to talk to us. And he introduced himself. And then he said he don’t really fish in Nassau. He
fish in Andros. He operate in Andros. So what he does is, there is a fishing lodge that’s in Andros owned by a Bahamian. But I guess they are not really operating it like it should be,” Mr Lewis added.
“So what he said he does is he rented that lodge out throughout the season. He would rent it out every time he gets a big group of clients coming in. He would rent it out and he would operate that lodge. Now, I don’t know what his legal grounds for doing it are or whether he has legal rights to it. I don’t know. I’m just saying that we do have foreigners that come tap into those potentials.
“They see the potential and they take advantage of it. So that is something that we do need to look at because we do have a lot of foreigners that come and they do those things. And again, I don’t know if they are straight. Who am I to walk up to you and say: ‘Hey, do you have papers to do that’ or ‘Do you have a licence to do it?’ I can’t do that.”
Mr Lewis added that there are not enough Bahamian guides, especially in Nassau. “I think it’s really needed - training for flat fishing guides,” he added. “Again, we don’t have a lot of flat fishing guides; not the amount that we should have.
“And not a lot of young Bahamians know much about fly fishing and flat fishing. Our focus was always on offshore fishing or doing some reef fishing or diving. So that’s what mostly has been known, especially among our young
LEGAL NOTICE
OFBTC RETAIL BUILDING FOUR LTD.
(In Voluntary Liquidation)
Registration number: 61530 C
Notice is hereby given that at a general meeting of the above company, duly convened, and held at Gail Lockhart Charles & Co., Old Fort Bay Town Centre, Units 10-12, Floor 2, Building 4, Windsor Field Road, Old Fort Bay, New Providence, The Bahamas, on the 3rd February 2025, the following Resolution was duly passed:
“That the company be wound up voluntarily; that GLC Corporate Services Ltd. of Gail Lockhart Charles & Co., Old Fort Bay Town Centre, Units 10-12, Floor 2, Building 4, Windsor Field Road, Old Fort Bay, New Providence, The Bahamas, be and is hereby appointed liquidator for the purpose of such winding up”.
Dated this 26th day of February A.D., 2025
GLC Corporate Services Ltd. Liquidator
Tree trimming woes blamed for sparking BPL power lines
By ANNELIA NIXON Tribune Business Reporter anixon@tribunemedia.net
ELEUTHERA residents urged better tree trimming and cutting by Bahamas Power & Light (BPL) after numerous power lines sparked during bad weather yesterday.
Areas including Current, Hatchet Bay and The Bluff were all impacted by what former local government representative, Aldred Albury, described as tornado activity. Keyshna Kemp, owner of Transformations Fitness Centre and Da Wash House, added that the power lines “look like they were put together with dental floss and toothpicks”, blaming the sparking on lack of tree maintenance.
“The going down part is because they look like they were put together with dental floss and toothpicks. In some areas where there are minimal trees, you still have them pop from time to time. But these are very old power lines. But the sparking is definitely the trees interacting. You can see from the videos that that’s the trees coming in contact,” she said.
problem is’. But what I am saying is they really need a much more aggressive programme of monitoring and anticipating where a potential problem will be with these trees.
“Normally, what happens when there’s a situation, the whole area is out. Like right now, basically, North Eleuthera, the primary problem for us might be down at Whale Point as an example. That’s about 10 miles away. Maybe they need to have smaller sections that they can turn the power on and off, do the necessary trimmings. And so when there’s an incident, the whole area doesn’t have to go out.”
Ms Kemp, however, did commend BPL for the trees that were trimmed , suggesting homeowners need to be fined if the utility has to cut down their trees. “They also need to fine homeowners if they have to cut them down,” Ms Kemp said. “We need to be responsible for our yards. Now vacant land or such is a different story. They need to cut the trees from near the lines to avoid this chaos.
men. So when they talk about flat fishing and fly fishing, most of them don’t know about it.
“And even now, me here at Nassau going out, taking clients out fishing and sometimes I’m coming right in the local areas, the local beaches, because that’s where we should start fishing, inshore. And they see me coming in there and they’re just in amazement, like, what are you doing? What’s going on?” Mr Lewis said.
“Sometimes it even makes me kind of timid because I know their thoughts and I know what they’re thinking. They just have no clue. And I’m coming in and I’m fishing and they be like: ‘What the hell is he doing?’ They see me catching fish, and then sometimes they run up to me like: ‘What are you fishing for? What is that?’ And I have to tell them. So there’s a lot of potential in it.
“And a lot of Bahamians are clueless when it comes to that type of fishing and the potential for growth. Even for oneself in getting into the business and developing themselves, and making something greater of themselves. Its great potential. And I don’t think a lot of Bahamians are seizing those opportunities, especially here in Nassau and some other Family Islands. It is mostly known in Andros and a few other Family Islands. But when we come to Nassau and places like that, it’s not known. It really hasn’t been touched yet.”
Denward Rankine, the BFFIA’s vice-president,
confirmed the industry sees many foreigners profiting from an industry they “would love to control” for Bahamians. He said it has been publicised that Bahamians “can’t handle it” and “don’t have the resources”.
“Documented last year, I think, they’re saying that fly fishing contributed about $169m to the Bahamian economy,” Mr Rankine said. “But that is just offhand. In real reality, it’s well over half a billion dollars, because a lot of these [people that] come in don’t go through tourism. They’ll book a guide locally.
“And again, these guys not only pay for guide services, but they rent vehicles, they rent accommodations, they buy fuel, they buy stuff at the grocery stores. And so the spin-off effect is huge also. And we’ve been having some push back over the years because there’s so much money in it.
“We’ve had issues over the past few years where the foreigners have been pretty much putting it out there that the locals are not ready for it. They can’t handle it. They don’t have the resources and all that. It’s a lot of money. And this is something that they, again, would love to control, but we can’t allow that to happen. We’re not about to.”
Mr Rankine continued:
“We have an issue in The Bahamas where most of the larger lodges are foreignowned, and these guys have endless sources of funding and so they can afford what the little local guy can’t. So we’re trying to also position
LEGAL NOTICE
OFBTC RETAIL BUILDING THREE LTD.
(In Voluntary Liquidation)
Registration number: 61531 C
Notice is hereby given that at a general meeting of the above company, duly convened, and held at Gail Lockhart Charles & Co., Old Fort Bay Town Centre, Units 10-12, Floor 2, Building 4, Windsor Field Road, Old Fort Bay, New Providence, The Bahamas, on the 3rd February 2025, the following Resolution was duly passed:
“That the company be wound up voluntarily; that GLC Corporate Services Ltd. of Gail Lockhart Charles & Co., Old Fort Bay Town Centre, Units 10-12, Floor 2, Building 4, Windsor Field Road, Old Fort Bay, New Providence, The Bahamas, be and is hereby appointed liquidator for the purpose of such winding up”.
Dated this 26th day of February A.D., 2025
GLC Corporate Services Ltd. Liquidator
“If you saw a video sparking a few weeks ago, that was The Bluff. Maintenance needs to be done. Long story short, they got to come through. I know from the highway leading to Current, they had the tractors and they were able to go and cut down some of the trees. Now, unfortunately, when you get in the community where the homes are closer together, it’s not as easy to get a tractor to run through there.
“You’re going to have to hire people. It’s going to be expensive because it does not make sense if you upgrade the grid and the trees are going to keep on damaging them. They’re going to have to find a way - turn the power off, get the powers that be, literally, on the ground. Cut the branches… but something has to be done.”
Leatendore Percentie, a dentist, suggested that BPL “have smaller sections where they can turn the power on and off, do the necessary trimming. What is interesting is that periodically there are outages because they say that they are trimming the trees and those outages are literally a few hours,” he said.
“And so I think the question is what can be done in terms of making the tree trimmings, etc. more efficient… I mean, who monitors this stuff? I am not sure, but usually it is after the fact when they say, ‘oh, because this tree caused the downfall is where the
“Someone was complaining how BPL cut the trees down in their yard and left it. I had to give all my strength to be quiet because BPL did you a favour. If it’s in your yard, that is your responsibility. I know we blame them for a lot, but you should notice that this is too close to the power line. And as the home owner, that’s your responsibility.
“I’m from Freeport. Have you met the Port Authority? The Port Authority do not play. If they tell you to remove something and you don’t remove it, they will remove it and then they will give you their price for them having to remove it. Is local government responsible for cutting down trees in people’s yard? I think they might be responsible for towing it away. Either way, it’s my yard. I should be responsible. I know you have some really, really big trees. Okay, I understand that. But then when BPL comes and cut it down, what then?” Ms Kemp added.
“It is saving them problems in the long run. I understand that. I understand them clearing the tree in your yard is saving them problems in the long run. But you’re the home owner and it’s not like we pay already for our yard in front maintenance or garbage [to be] taken away.
“And that’s pine trees. Those are huge. Now at that stage? Even if that’s on my yard, how do I get that down? That’s going to be some serious money. Whereas, if I pay a $20, $30 fee or something each month, that can be covered.”
LEGAL NOTICE
OFBTC RETAIL BUILDING TWO LTD.
(In Voluntary Liquidation)
Registration number: 61532 C
Notice is hereby given that at a general meeting of the above company, duly convened, and held at Gail Lockhart Charles & Co., Old Fort Bay Town Centre, Units 10-12, Floor 2, Building 4, Windsor Field Road, Old Fort Bay, New Providence, The Bahamas, on the 3rd February 2025, the following Resolution was duly passed:
“That the company be wound up voluntarily; that GLC Corporate Services Ltd. of Gail Lockhart Charles & Co., Old Fort Bay Town Centre, Units 10-12, Floor 2, Building 4, Windsor Field Road, Old Fort Bay, New Providence, The Bahamas, be and is hereby appointed liquidator for the purpose of such winding up”.
Dated this 26th day of February A.D., 2025
GLC Corporate Services Ltd. Liquidator
Opposition demands PM ‘dismiss a senior advisor’
No.5, 138 Wulff Road. That is now the address of Cubix Bahamas which, like Bahamas Cargo & Logistics, is also a shipping company and freight forwarder.
Sandra Kemp, deputy director of communications in the Prime Minister’s Office, and who witnessed the execution of Bahamas Moorings’ 21-year lease deal on the company’s behalf while still employed by the Government, states on her Linkedin page that she has served as “head of marketing communications” for Cubix Bahamas from March 2018 to the “present”.
This newspaper also previously reported that many of those involved in Bahamas Moorings deal have close links to the Office of the Prime Minister, including the “senior advisor”. Of the two principals named in the lease, Tribune Business research showed Philip A. Kemp II is a former City Markets chief financial officer, having been part of both the ill-fated TransIsland Traders deal and its predecessor, BK Foods.
And Raymond Christian Knowles, better known by
his middle name, is a boat captain with the ‘Pieces of 8’ tour boat and charter operator, where he is described as “a 30-year veteran on the open waters” who has worked as a commercial fisherman.
The address for serving Bahamas Moorings Company, No.3 Bayside Executive Park in western New Providence, is the same as that for two entities playing a key role in the Government’s energy reforms - Bahamas Grid Company, which now controls New Providence’s energy grid, and Island Power Producers, the company that will supply energy to cruise ships docked in Nassau.
The address is the home of Levant Advisors, incorrectly spelt as Lavent in the lease document, which appears to be a newly-formed boutique financial services firm. Its website lists Levant’s principals as Anthony Ferguson, the company’s founder who is also CFAL chief, and Antoine Bastian, the Genesis Fund Services head. Both men are heavily involved with the Office of the Prime Minister as they are leading the
Government’s efforts to monetise The Bahamas’ seagrass meadows, mangroves and other so-called ‘carbon sinks’ via the creation of ‘blue carbon credits’ - an initiative much-touted by the Government. That is separate from the Bahamas Moorings deal.
Mr Pintard, meanwhile, suggested that Bahamas Moorings had committed a criminal offence by installing its moorings/anchorages and associated infrastructure without possessing the required approvals under the Environmental Planning and Protection Act. And it also questioned whether the Government has to pay Bahamas Moorings a break-up fee or other compensation over their aborted deal.
Blasting what he described as a “fiasco” and a “litany of transgressions”, Mr Pintard said: “Bahamas Moorings reportedly had already begun installation of moorings through the Exuma Cays without authorisation from the Department of Environmental Planning & Protection (DEPP).
“This is illegal under Section 11 of the Environmental Planning and
Protection Act, which states that anyone commencing a project without a certificate of environmental clearance (CEC) commits a criminal offence.” He also urged that the “blatant conflict of interest” involving Mrs Kemp’s role in witnessing the lease be “resolved without delay”.
“Finally, the Prime Minister must tell the nation how much money has been spent - and the value of any human resources used - in the pursuit of this folly. Does the Government have to compensate Bahamas Moorings or any of its affiliates or agents for money spent on this now-abandoned misadventure? The Bahamian people want/ demand answers,” Mr Pintard said.
“Will the Government again have to shell out more Bahamian taxpayer money to cover for their latest screw-up? If not, who is footing the bill?”
The “compensation” reference appears to allude to a section in the Bahamas Moorings lease detailing the damages itself and the Government must pay to each other if on terminates the deal “without cause”. This has not happened here
FEARS EXUMA MOORINGS DEAL TO BE ‘REPACKAGED’
FROM PAGE B1
that many of the principals involved in the Bahamas Moorings deal enjoyed with the Prime Minister’s Office and persons inside it. Speaking after both the Government and company disclosed they will not proceed with a 21-year lease deal covering 4,165 acres of Exuma seabed owned by the Bahamian people, Mr Carey said: “It seems to be relief all around.
“I think everyone is relieved, especially in the boating community, those that felt they were being taken advantage of. The community is relieved for people visiting that they are not going to be hit with some sort of payment that could potentially destroy their own livelihoods.”
Giving the Government and Bahamas Moorings credit for making “the right move” and abandoning the project, he added: “It’s good to respond to the concerns of the public and there’s no doubt there were a lot of concerns raised by the public with respect to transparency and due process.
“And 90 percent of the boaters said they would not be taken advantage or they could not afford to pay
what the fees were. If you are paying 50 cents per day per foot, they could spend a lot of money in a month and crews do not budget for that.”
The ex-BNT executive director, now a private environmental consultant, also queried the rationale expressed by the Government to justify the Bahamas Moorings tie-up. The Davis administration, in its first statement on the agreement on Sunday, sought to link it to its much-touted ‘blue carbon credits’ initiative and environmental protection/conservation.
“For years, unregulated anchoring has significantly damaged coral reefs and seagrass beds - critical marine habitats supporting biodiversity and carbon sequestration,” the Government asserted.
“Recent research by Beneath the Waves, a leading marine science organisation, has documented a 20-30 percent decline in seagrass coverage in parts of the Exuma Cays over the past decade, underscoring the urgent need for action.
Installing these moorings will help preserve marine ecosystems while enhancing navigational safety by reducing anchor-related
destruction and minimising seabed disturbance.
“The project will utilise eco-friendly moorings with helical anchors, a system successfully implemented in mooring fields at the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, Staniel Cay and Elizabeth Harbour, Georgetown. These moorings will help organise anchoring patterns, improve vessel safety and reduce the environmental impact of unregulated anchoring,” it added.
“Additional benefits include a reduction in sediment disruption, carbon loss and greenhouse gas emissions. This initiative is also a key component of the Bahamas Blue Carbon Project, which aims to generate funding through carbon credit sales linked to the protection of seagrass beds and marine sediment; critical natural carbon sinks.”
Mr Carey, though, said the Bahamas Moorings model was contrary to most other parts of the world where governments and local authorities “operate and own” mooring and anchorage facilities. While they may outsource management to, and enter into revenue-sharing with, private sector entities, “you
Resort’s bookings surge amid private pilot fall-out
FROM PAGE B1
She said several of her guests are members of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), which represents between 300,000 to 400,000 private plane owners and pilots, and they expressed feeling “unappreciated” after the “unfair” fees were imposed.
as they “mutually agreed” to terminate. In return for leasing a total 4,615 acres from the Government for 21 years, with effect from February 1, 2025, Bahamas Moorings had agreed to pay an annual rent equal to 3 percent of gross revenue collected from boaters plus 10 percent VAT. The firm, which says its fees are VAT inclusive, also issued social media messages saying boaters could use its moorings free of charge until its official launch.
This was to take place at the Palm Beach International Boat show from March 19-23, 2025, but will now not happen. For mooring at its round buoys, Bahamas Moorings was proposing to charge fees ranging from $25 to $135 per day depending on vessel length, plus fees of between $170 and $250 per day for “super yachts” mooring at its taper buoys again depending on length. Some 49 sites were covered by the lease. Anchorage fees were to range from 55 cents per foot per day to $1.10 per foot per day, again depending on boat length. Bahamas Moorings argued
environment and the Government.”
don’t give up all the seabed to private interests”.
“It’s very important that the areas the Government selects for mooring should be the ones that are sensitive, that need protection; not all areas that boats are going to use,” Mr Carey told Tribune Business. “I can tell you from my own review of the 49 sites, and feedback from research scientists, that most of them are not hard bottom, coral reefs or seagrass. They are not sensitive areas.
“BIg Major’s, a spot where everyone goes to see the swimming pigs, hundreds of boats go there. They anchor in the sand; they don’t anchor in sensitive habitats. There’s no logic to putting them [mooring sites] there. They need to have a clear analysis of what needs to be protected and consult on that.
“Communities want to know what the trade-off is. Protecting the environment is important, but if communities are going to suffer the Government may have to do fewer anchorages, control of the density rather than access to moorings. There’s now an opportunity for everyone to sit back, take a look at it and make the best decision in the interests of the community,
Mr Maury, meanwhile, challenged the Government’s assertion that Bahamas Moorings was using “eco-friendly moorings with helical anchors, a system successfully implemented in mooring fields at the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, Staniel Cay and Elizabeth Harbour, Georgetown”.
The ABM chief said: “The moorings weren’t environmentally friendly. All they did was take an anchor with a chain and drop it overboard [to secure the mooring buoys]. It’s no different from what’s been happening.” Tribune Business has obtained videos showing what appear to be buoys secured to the ocean floor by an anchor and chain, although it was unable to confirm if these were installed by Bahamas Moorings.
However, a bill of lading for Bahamas Moorings, showed that a consignment of what was described as “anchors” and “link chain” shipped by a Chinese company arrived in The Bahamas on January 2, 2025. “There were so many things that were wrong with it,” Mr Maury added of the Exuma Cays anchorage/ mooring deal.
“A lot of the boats go and anchor out. They go into the marinas and when they have people on board
that its mooring/anchorage plan would bring order to the present chaos on Bahamian waters by giving boats and yachts designated points where they can tie up, thus preventing damage to the seabed, coral reefs and other ecosystems from anchors dragging.
But besides raising questions over the Davis administration’s apparent lack of transparency and failure to consult Out Island communities, observers had also challenged why a deal of this nature was not put out to competitive bidding via a request for proposal (RFP).
And they queried why the Government had not adopted a different publicprivate partnership (PPP) model by retaining the seabed and, instead, hiring a private management company through competitive bidding to operate the moorings/anchorages. The two sides could then have entered into a revenue/ profit sharing arrangement with some of the proceeds directed to environmental preservation.
they go out and anchor. I can’t say it was going to cut everything in half but if people were serious about boycotting we would have lost all that business in the Exumas. No matter what everybody thinks, the boats have to go buy groceries, gas and go to restaurants. They don’t just sit on the moorings.
“It was our land. The seabed is Crown Land. Myself and several people looked at it and they had taken the best anchorages away... It needs to be seriously investigated and shouldn’t have happened like that. It’s absolutely wrong. Someone has to speak for the people. It’s obvious our government is not looking out for our interests.”
However, both Mr Maury and Mr Carey agreed that the termination of the Bahamas Moorings deal may not be the end of the matter. “I’m still dumbfounded. Nothing surprises me these days,” the ABM chief added. “They’ll probably try and repackage it and stick it to us another way. We’ll see what happens.”
Mr Carey said: “What’s next is the question everyone is asking. Is Bahamas Moorings going to emerge in another form in a couple of months with properly executed documents? These are the questions people are asking.”
night, and didn’t come on till 10.30 this morning. That the longest we’ve had in a while,” said Ms McIntosh.
“The BPL guys were working in the pouring rain. They do their best, and
“We still get complaints [from boaters] from time to time. It’s not as much complaining as I’ve heard from the private pilots about the changes. I’m getting more push back from the private pilots than from the boaters,” said Ms McIntosh. “They feel it’s unfair. They feel unappreciated,
Ms McIntosh said while boaters hardly complain about the $200 Immigration fee to extend visitor stays, private pilots have given more “push back” and one group cancelled their fournight, six-room stay due to the fees.
NOTICE RED BROOKWOOD INC. In Voluntary Liquidation
Notice is hereby given that in accordance with Section 138(4) of the International Business Companies Act. 2000, RED BROOKWOOD INC. is in dissolution as of February 14, 2025
International Liquidator Services Ltd. situated at 3rd Floor Whitfield Tower, 4792 Coney Drive, Belize City, Belize is the Liquidator.
and there were lots of choices and places for them to go. So they were going to go to somewhere where they felt they were more fairly treated. I’ve had so many pilots that come in and say this because they’re all members of the AOPA. I had one group cancel on me, and they said they wrote a letter to the Ministry of Tourism. It was for six rooms for four nights.
“Private pilots are great business for the Out Islands,
and even for Nassau and Freeport. People have these planes and they have to go somewhere. They have to fly them, and it’s beautiful over here and they love it. We just need to make sure they don’t feel that we’re taking advantage of them.”
Ms McIntosh said the resort is still experiencing electricity issues and outages lasting over 15 hours, and hopes Abaco will receive upgraded and improved infrastructure to accommodate growing visitor demand.
“We still have power problems. My power was off most of the day yesterday, went off at 7pm last
CITIUS INVESTMENTS LIMITED
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN as follows:
(a) CITIUS INVESTMENTS LIMITED is in voluntary dissolution under the provisions of Section 138 (4) of the International Business Companies Act 2000.
(b) The dissolution of the said company commenced on the 25th February, 2025 when the Articles of Dissolution were submitted to and registered by the Registrar General.
(c) The Liquidator of the said company is Bukit Merah Limited, The Bahamas Financial Centre, Shirley & Charlotte Streets, P.O. Box N-3023, Nassau, Bahamas.
Dated this 26th day of February, A. D. 2025.
Bukit Merah Limited Liquidator
they communicated with me while they were getting it fixed. I’m not criticising them; I just wish we had a little better infrastructure so that we didn’t have to deal with this all the time.”
The Tribune wants to hear from people who are making news in their neighbourhoods. Perhaps you are raising funds for a good cause, campaigning for improvements in the area or have won an award. If so, call us on 322-1986 and share your story.
Fly fishing participants focus on local control
the local guys in a way that they can compete with the large operations, mostly foreign-owned, with proper equipment and all that stuff.
“So you know, they take out guys. You don’t want them to have shabby boats, shabby engines, shabby rods. You want them to be able to look good because they represent as ambassadors in the country. And we want them to look that way.
“We have this guides training programme and
programme coming on now where they come in and get certified and shortly, you know, you wouldn’t be able to operate as a guide in The Bahamas legally unless you’re certified. And so that brings them up to international standards and makes everybody look good. We’re working on all that stuff,” he added. “Over the past 20 years it’s been tough because this is an industry where we all feel like foreigners shouldn’t be able to guide in this country. There’s
very few other places in the world that you can do this. And it’s one of the few industries that can be left for and controlled by Bahamians. And we’re trying to save that for Bahamians.”
Education on fly fishing, an unknown sector among most of the younger generation, as well as environmental preservation are a few suggestion, provided by Mr Lewis to bring fly fishing on par with offshore, deep sea and other forms of fishing.
HOUSE GOP PUSHES ‘BIG’ BUDGET RESOLUTION TO PASSAGE, A CRUCIAL STEP TOWARD DELIVERING TRUMP’S AGENDA
By LISA MASCARO, KEVIN FREKING and MATT BROWN Associated Press
WITH a push from President Donald Trump, House Republicans sent a GOP budget blueprint to passage Tuesday, a step toward delivering his "big, beautiful bill" with $4.5 trillion in tax breaks and $2 trillion in spending cuts despite a wall of opposition from Democrats and discomfort among Republicans.
House Speaker Mike Johnson had almost no votes to spare in his barebones GOP majority and was fighting on all fronts — against Democrats, uneasy rank-and-file Republicans and skeptical GOP senators — to advance the party's signature legislative package. Trump was making calls to wayward GOP lawmakers and had invited Republicans to the White House.
The vote was 217215, with all Democrats opposed, and the outcome was in jeopardy until the gavel.
"On a vote like this, you're always going to have people you're talking to all the way through the close of the vote," Majority Leader Steve Scalise said before the roll call. "It's that tight." Passage of the package is crucial to kickstarting the process. Trump wants the Republicans who control Congress to approve a massive bill that would extend tax breaks, which he secured during his first term but are expiring later this year, while also cutting spending across federal programs and services.
Next steps are long and cumbersome before anything can become law — weeks of committee hearings to draft the details and send the House version to the Senate, where
Republicans passed their own scaled-back version.
And more big votes are ahead, including an unrelated deal to prevent a government shutdown when federal funding expires March 14. Those talks are also underway.
It's all unfolding amid emerging backlash to what's happening elsewhere as billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk is tearing through federal agencies with his Department of Government Efficiency firing thousands of workers nationwide, and angry voters are starting to confront lawmakers at town hall meetings back home.
Democrats during an afternoon debate decried the package as a "betrayal" to Americans, a "blueprint for American decline" and simply a "Republican rip-off."
"Our very way of life as a country is under assault," House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on the steps of the Capitol.
Flanked by Americans who said they would be hurt by cuts to Medicaid and other social programs, the Democrats booed the GOP budget blueprint. But as the minority party, they don't have the votes to stop it.
Slashing government is not always popular at home
Even as they press ahead, Republicans are running into a familiar problem: Slashing federal spending is typically easier said than done. With cuts to the Pentagon and other programs largely off limits, much of the other government outlays go for health care, food stamps, student loans and programs relied on by their constituents.
Several Republican lawmakers worry that scope of the cuts being eyed — particularly some $880 billion to the committee that
NOTICE
HARRIOTT of #20 Cumberbatch Alley, New Providence, The Bahamas applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 26th day of February, 2025 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.
“Specifically, a lot of educational training is needed, not just from the lower level but from the higher level, come straight down,” Mr Lewis said. “Because what’s been happening now, especially in Nassau, we’ve been destroying most of our flats, most of our coastal areas, inland areas. And these are the areas where this type of fish thrive. “They like inland, they like coastal areas. They like to get deep in the mangroves and different areas like that. And we’ve been
destroying most of them. We’ve been developing and building hotels and wiping out all of the mangroves and all these different things. So we’re destroying thousands and thousands, even millions of dollars, of potential.
“And when they keep doing that, developing these coastal areas with hotels and different things and developments, the fish now move. And when they do that, most time, they don’t think of, ‘how can we develop another area
for these fish to maybe transition into this area’ or something like that. We are not looking at these things.
“That’s one thing you can do. Fly fishing is being impacted. We need to protect flats in our coastal areas and what [can] we do to enhance and try to boost that industry. Because to tell you the truth, if we can find ways to boost that industry and cause more fish and more growth in those areas, we’ll have something there, especially in Nassau.”
COUPLE FAIL TO HALT SANDALS’ CHAPEL
FROM PAGE B1
risks of long-term damage to the delicate ecological environment associated with this overwater chapel have been considered or are being managed,” the judge added.
“They have also asserted that there is a very real risk of loss of financial value of their property.” The Barnetts, who have lived at 15 Coral Road, West Bay Street, said they voiced “express opposition to the nature and scope of work Sandals was undertaking” to the resort on August 30, 2023, before raising the matter with the Port Department on May 21, 2024.
handles health care spending, including Medicaid, for example, or $230 billion to the agriculture committee that funds food stamps — will be too harmful to their constituents back home.
GOP leaders insist Medicaid is not specifically listed in the initial 60-page budget framework, which is true. Johnson and his leadership team also told lawmakers they would have plenty of time to debate the details as they shape the final package.
But lawmakers wanted assurances the health care program and others will be protected as the plans are developed and merged with the Senate in the weeks to come.
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., said Trump has promised he would not allow Medicaid to be cut.
"The president was clear about that. I was clear about that," Lawler said. "We will work through this, but the objective today is to begin the process."
At the same time, GOP deficit hawks are withholding support until they are convinced it won't add to the nation's $36 trillion debt
They alleged that Sandals stopped work, only to start again in May 2024, and they found it was expanding the original pier by about 40 feet “in a northern or western direction” and constructing the overwater chapel. However, the Government defendants are arguing that they lack ‘sufficient interest’ because their home is 300 feet from Sandals with two properties in between.
Berne Wright, the Port controller, in his affidavit evidence alleged that Sandals had met with the Barnetts and “proposed reangling” the dock and chapel so that their view was not obstructed. The Docks Committee had no objection to the project, and Rhianna Neely-Murphy, DEPP’s director, revealed that the certificate of environmental clearance (CEC) was issued to Sandals on October 28, 2021. She said the environmental impacts were deemed to be “negligible”, because the area had already been used for a dock, which also meant no EIA was required. Sandals Royal Bahamian said last summer it had the correct permits to construct the overwater wedding chapel.
Kevin Clarke, its general manager, said the resort has “most definitely” received the necessary approvals to construct its waterfront wedding chapel and is open to discussing the project with neighbours.
“At the end of the day, we have to exercise good community relations. I have spoken to them on several occasions, and I’m available
for a consultation, and we would have never done anything to jeopardise the brand or the authorities in The Bahamas,” he said. “It’s no way close to their property or would impede them from kayaking or jet skiing, based on how it’s drawn.
“We’ve actually proposed before a drawing, and they made an injunction that we will be impeding on their property, and we revised it. So, we’re working with an approval now that is a revised version of it, so there is no way that would be able to impede or block their property or view or access thereof.”
Mr Clarke said the structure is “quite safe” and will not cause damage to neighbouring property during a hurricane.
“Based on the construction and the approval and the permits that we’re doing, the structure is quite safe, and it’s not a thatch roof that we’re doing as well. So that shouldn’t. And it’s not directly across from their property, where it would cause damage to affect their property,” Mr Clarke explained.
Apple shareholders reject proposal to scrap company’s diversity programs
By MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer
APPLE shareholders rebuffed an attempt to pressure the technology trendsetter into joining President Donald Trump's push to scrub corporate programs designed to diversify its workforce.
The proposal drafted by the National Center for Public Policy Research — a self-described conservative think tank — urged Apple to follow a litany of highprofile companies that have retreated from diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives currently in the Trump administration's crosshairs.
After a brief presentation about the anti-DEI proposal, Apple announced shareholders had rejected it. In a regulatory filing submitted Tuesday evening, Apple disclosed that 97% of
NOTICE
NOTICE is hereby given that VICTORIA MILFORT of Market Street, New Providence, The Bahamas applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/ naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 26th day of February, 2025 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.
the ballots cast were votes against the measure. The outcome vindicated Apple management's decision to stand behind its diversity commitment even though Trump asked the U.S. Department of Justice to look into whether these types of programs have discriminated against some employees whose race or gender aren't aligned with the initiative's goals.
But Apple CEO Tim Cook has maintained a cordial relationship with Trump since his first term in office, an alliance that so far has helped the company skirt tariffs on its iPhones made in China. After Cook and Trump met last week, Apple on Monday announced it will invest $500 billion in the U.S. and create 20,000 more jobs during the next five years — a commitment applauded by the president.
Tuesday's shareholder vote came a month after the same group presented a similar proposal during Costco's annual meeting, only to have it overwhelmingly rejected, too. That snub didn't discourage the National Center for Public Policy Research from confronting Apple about its DEI program in a prerecorded presentation by Stefan Padfield, executive director of the think tank's Free Enterprise Project, who asserted "forced diversity is bad for business." In the presentation, Padfield attacked Apple's diversity commitments for being out of line with recent court rulings and said the programs expose the Cupertino, California, company to an onslaught of potential lawsuits for alleged discrimination.
NOTICE
NOTICE is hereby given that WINSTON HARRIOTT of #20 Cumberbatch Alley, New Providence, The Bahamas applying to the Minister responsible for Nationality and Citizenship, for Registration Naturalization as a citizen of The Bahamas, and that any person who knows any reason why registration/naturalization should not be granted, should send a written and signed statement of the facts within twenty-eight days from the 26th day of February, 2025 to the Minister responsible for nationality and Citizenship, P.O. Box N-7147, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.
SPEAKER of the House Mike Johnson, of La., with House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain, from left, Rep. Tim Moore, R-N.C. and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, of La., speaks during a news conference at the Capitol, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, in Washington.
Photo:Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
The White House says
it ‘will determine’ which news outlets cover Trump, rotating traditional ones
By LAURIE KELLMAN Associated Press
THE White House said Tuesday that its officials "will determine" which news outlets can regularly cover President Donald Trump up close — a sharp break from a century of tradition in which a pool of independently chosen news organizations go where the chief executive does and hold him accountable on behalf of regular Americans.
The move, coupled with the government's arguments this week in a federal lawsuit over access filed by The Associated Press, represented an unprecedented seizing of control over coverage of the American presidency by any administration. Free speech advocates expressed alarm.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the changes would rotate traditional outlets from the group and include some streaming services. Leavitt cast the change as a modernization of the press pool, saying the move would be more inclusive and restore "access back to the American people" who elected Trump. But media experts said the move raised troubling First Amendment issues because the president is choosing who covers him.
"The White House press team, in this administration, will determine who gets to enjoy the very privileged and limited access in spaces such as Air Force One and the Oval Office," Leavitt said at a daily briefing. She added at another point: "A select group of D.C.-based journalists should no longer have a monopoly of press access at the White House." Leavitt said the White House will "double down" on its decision to bar the AP from many presidential events, a departure from the time-tested and sometimes contentious practice for more than a century of a pool of journalists from every platform sharing the presidents' words and activities with news outlets and congressional offices that can't attend the close-quarter events. Traditionally, the members of the pool decide who goes in small spaces such as the Oval Office and Air Force One.
habits of the American people in 2025, not 1925," Leavitt said.
At an event later in the Oval Office, the president linked the AP court case with the decision to take control of credentialing for the pool. "We're going to be now calling those shots," Trump said.
There are First Amendment implications
The change, said one expert on presidents and the press, "is a dangerous move for democracy."
"It means the presi-
“It’s beyond time that the White House press operation reflects the media habits of the American people in 2025, not 1925.”
Karoline Leavitt
dent can pick and choose who covers the executive branch, ignoring the fact that it is the American people who through their taxes pay for the running of the White House, the president's travels and the press secretary's salary," Jon Marshall, a media history professor at Northwestern University and author of "Clash: Presidents and the Press in Times of Crisis," said in a text.
Correspondents' Association, said the organization consistently expands its membership and pool rotations to facilitate the inclusion of new and emerging outlets.
"This move tears at the independence of a free press in the United States. It suggests the government will choose the journalists who cover the president," Daniels said in a statement. "In a free country, leaders must not be able to choose their own press corps."
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press called it "a drastic change in how the public obtains information about its government."
"The White House press pool exists to serve the public, not the presidency," Bruce D. Brown, the group's president, said in a statement.
Leavitt spoke a day after a federal judge refused to immediately order the White House to restore the AP's access to many presidential events. The news outlet, citing the First Amendment, sued Leavitt and two other White House officials for barring the AP from some presidential events over its refusal to call the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America" as Trump ordered. AP has said its style would retain the "Gulf of Mexico" name but also would note Trump's decision.
unhelpful to the White House."
McFadden's decision was only for the moment, however. He told attorneys for the Trump administration and the AP that the issue required more exploration before ruling. Another hearing was scheduled for late March.
The AP Stylebook is used by international audiences as well as those within the United States. The AP has said that its guidance was offered to promote clarity.
"It's beyond time that the White House press operation reflects the media
MICROSOFT WORKERS PROTEST SALE OF AI AND CLOUD SERVICES TO ISRAELI MILITARY
Eugene Daniels, president of the White House
By MICHAEL BIESECKER Associated Press
FIVE Microsoft employees were ejected from a meeting with the company's chief executive for protesting contracts to provide artificial intelligence and cloud computing services to the Israeli military.
It comes in the context of a federal lawsuit
The protest on Monday came after an investigation by The Associated Press revealed last week that sophisticated AI models from Microsoft and OpenAI had been used as part of an Israeli military program to select bombing targets during the recent wars in Gaza and Lebanon. The story also contained details of an errant Israeli
"As you know, we won that lawsuit," Trump said incorrectly. In fact, U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden said the AP had not demonstrated it had suffered irreparable harm — but urged the Trump administration to reconsider its two-week-old ban, saying that case law in the circuit "is uniformly
airstrike in 2023 that struck a vehicle carrying members of a Lebanese family, killing three young girls and their grandmother. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was speaking about new products at an employee town hall meeting at the company's corporate campus in Redmond, Washington. Workers standing about 15 feet to his right then revealed T-shirts that when they stood sideby-side spelled out the question "Does Our Code Kill Kids, Satya?"
Photos and video of the incident, which was live streamed throughout the company, shows Nadella kept speaking and did not acknowledge the protesters.
Two men quickly tapped the workers on the shoulders and ushered them out of the room.
"We provide many avenues for all voices to be heard," Microsoft said in a statement provided to the AP. "Importantly, we ask that this be done in a way that does not cause a business disruption. If that happens, we ask participants to relocate. We are committed to ensuring our business practices uphold the highest standards."
Microsoft did not answer Tuesday when asked whether the employees involved in the protest would face disciplinary action. The company also previously declined to comment about the AP's Feb. 18 story about its contracts with the Israeli military.
In October, Microsoft fired two workers for helping organize an unauthorized lunchtime vigil for Palestinian refugees at its headquarters. Microsoft said at the time that it ended the employment of some people "in accordance
Another Trump executive order to change the name of the United States' largest mountain back to Mount McKinley from Denali is being recognized by the AP Stylebook. Trump has the authority to do so because the mountain is completely within the country he oversees, AP has said.
with internal policy" but declined to give details.
A group of workers has been raising concerns within the company for months about Microsoft providing services to the Israeli military through its Azure cloud computing platform. Some employees at the company have also spoken out in support of Israel and said those supporting Palestinians have made them feel unsafe.
The AP's investigation included exclusive details drawn from internal company data and documents, including that the usage of AI models by the Israeli military through Azure increased nearly 200 times after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas militants.
The AP's report was shared and discussed among Microsoft employees on social media and within the company's internal systems. In a community forum designated for employees to raise concerns with senior leadership, an employee shared links to the AP report. More than a dozen others questioned whether the company was violating its stated principles to defend human rights and not to let its AI models be used to harm people, according to screenshots reviewed by the AP.
Abdo Mohamed, a researcher and data scientist who was one of the Microsoft workers fired over the October vigil, said the company is prioritizing profits over its own human rights commitments.
"The demands are clear," said Mohamed, who works with a group of Microsoft workers called No Azure for Apartheid. "Satya Nadella and Microsoft executives need to answer to their workers by dropping contracts with the Israeli military."
PRESIDENT Donald Trump gestures to a poster reading “Gulf of America” as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., watches in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025.
Photo:Pool/AP
MICROSOFT
Dow falls nearly 750 points and US stocks tumble as businesses and consumers worry about tariffs
By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer
U.S. stocks fell sharply Friday after reports showed that worries among consumers and businesses about President Donald Trump's policies may be hitting the U.S. economy.
The S&P 500 sank 1.7% for its worst day in two months. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 748 points, or 1.7%, and the Nasdaq composite tumbled 2.2%. The losses accelerated through the day following several weaker-than-expected reports on the economy.
One suggested U.S. business activity is close to stalling, with growth slowing to a 17-month low. The preliminary report from S&P Global said activity unexpectedly shrank for U.S. services businesses, and many in the survey reported slumping optimism because of worries about Washington.
"Companies report widespread concerns about the impact of federal government policies, ranging from spending cuts to tariffs and geopolitical developments,"
said Chris Williamson, chief business economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence. "Sales are reportedly being hit by the uncertainty caused by the changing political landscape, and prices are rising amid tariffrelated price hikes from suppliers."
A separate report said U.S. consumers are also preparing for higher inflation, in part because of potential tariffs that could raise prices for all kinds of imports. They're broadly expecting prices to be 4.3% higher 12 months from now, which is a big jump from their forecast of 3.3% inflation last month, according to a survey by the University of Michigan. That fits with preliminary data in the survey earlier this month. Among U.S. households, though, a divide is evident underneath the surface. Expectations for inflation are rising for political independents and Democrats, while falling slightly for Republicans.
A third economic report, meanwhile, said sales of previously occupied homes were weaker last month than economists expected.
Relatively high mortgage rates, along with expensive prices for homes, have been hurting sales.
To be sure, the U.S. stock market is still up for the young year so far and is not far from its all-time high set earlier this week. Virtually no one on Wall Street is forecasting a recession anytime soon. But Friday's reports raise concerns about what's been a remarkably resilient economy, and the losses on Wall Street were widespread.
Stocks of the smallest companies, whose profits can be more closely tied to the strength of the U.S.
economy than big multinational rivals, fell more than the rest of the market. The Russell 2000 index of small stocks dropped a marketleading 2.9%.
Within the big companies of the S&P 500 index, 3 out of every 4 stocks fell. Everything from Big Tech stocks that have been bid up amid the artificial-intelligence frenzy to airlines to metals companies dropped. Nvidia sank 4.1%. United Airlines lost 6.4%, and Newmont Mining fell 5.7%.
Akamai Technologies had the sharpest drop in the S&P 500, even though the cybersecurity and
PERSON walks in front of an electronic stock board showing New York Dow,
and Japan’s Nikkei indexes at a securities firm in Tokyo Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. Photo:Eugene
cloud computing company reported stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It lost a fifth of its value and fell 21.7% as investors focused instead on its forecasts for revenue and other financial measures this upcoming year, which fell short of analysts' expectations.
On the winning side of Wall Street was Celsius Holdings, which sells "better-for-you" energy drinks. It leaped 27.8% after saying it agreed to buy Alani Nu, a beverage company that focuses on female customers. Analysts called the purchase price, $1.65 billion net of tax effects, reasonable and said the deal should quickly add to profits for Celsius, which also reported its latest quarterly results. Other winners included stocks of companies that can provide steadier profits regardless of the U.S. economy's strength. Water utility American Water Works rose 3.1%, for example. All told, the S&P 500 fell 104.39 points to
6,013.13. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 748.63 to 43,428.02, and the Nasdaq composite sank 438.36 points to 19,524.01. Before Friday's sharp drop, the S&P 500 had been heading for a week of almost zero movement. Helping to lift stocks had been a steady parade of better-than-expected profit reports. That helped offset worries about stubbornly high inflation, which could prevent the Federal Reserve from delivering more relief for the economy and financial markets through lower interest rates. The Fed has been holding its main interest rate steady after sharply cutting it through the end of last year. At their last policy meeting in January, Fed officials suggested they may stay on hold for a while given worries about how Trump's proposed tariffs and mass deportations of migrants, along with other factors, could push upward on inflation.
