POLICE at the scene yesterday after Cabbage Beach vendors discovered the entrance locked and their items relocated. Photo: Donovan McIntosh/Tribune Staff
By EARYEL BOWLEG
Tribune Staff Reporter
ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
CABBAGE Beach vendors were irate and shocked yesterday to see the Paradise Island beach entrance locked and their items relocated when they showed up on site in preparation for their return to work next month.
The angry group took action and eventually opened the locked gates. Persons were seen taking the moved possessions from across the street back onto the beach.
Some claimed their items had been damaged by whoever moved them off the beach. They questioned where Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis was, noting that he protested against a similar situation while in opposition in 2016.
When contacted yesterday, Minister of Tourism Dionisio D’Aguilar said he was “blindsided” by the move.
He said he personally called the entity that owns the property — Access Industries — and was told the company plans to develop a condo-hotel on the land, hence the reason for the area being closed off.
“I was not aware that what happened today was going to happen,” Mr D’Aguilar said. “The first time I heard about it this morning (Wednesday) was when people started sending me messages and pictures and videos about what had happened.
“. . . I wasn’t aware that this sudden move was about to occur. So I did what everybody else did, which was to call the number that was on the sign and spoke to the gentleman and he said ‘Well, we’re intending to redevelop the land, it is private property and as a result we very politely moved all of the items that were used by the Cabbage Beach vendors and put them across the street where we will provide security for them for the next three days for the vendors to come and pick it up.’
“I indicated to him that yes it might be private property but the vendors who have operated there for decades believe that they have an inalienable right to operate their business there as they have always done in the past and I indicated that when they bought the property, these persons were operating on the land so they should have indicated what their intention was to either accommodate or not accommodate these vendors.”
He said Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis also did not know about the situation beforehand.
When asked what yesterday’s development means for the beach vendors who were expecting to return to work in July, Mr D’Agular said that depends.
“What we’re trying to do is to sensitise the developer to the process they should follow as they move forward. It depends what intention they have. If their intention is to seize the land and deny access to the vendors, then that will then garner a different response from the government of the Bahamas, but if their intention is to redevelop the property and somehow incorporate them into their redevelopment and make sure they have access, well that’s a different discussion.”
He added: “We just want to see what the way forward is and if they are intending to incorporate the vendors into the development then that’s good, but we got to know that. If it isn’t, it’s a whole different discussion.”
The words will bring little comfort to vendors who have been out of work for more than a year due to the pandemic.
“This is our livelihood and we refuse to move from here, we are not moving,” one vendor said yesterday. “We gon’ fight. . .and if Minnis looks like he want a war with the Bahamian people, he will get it, because we ain’t moving.”
The vendors called on Dr Minnis to fix the situation.
“Dr Minnis, you and the FNM in trouble if y’all don’t remedy this,” another vendor said.
Vendor Ishmael Sutherland said that out of his 96 beach chairs, only 42 had been accounted for yesterday. He estimated about 12 of them are broken from being transported from the beach.
“I have (about) 63 umbrellas – all of them are broken,” he said. “I don’t know who’s behind it, whoever it is, I know we’re going to put a lawsuit to them because we don’t appreciate what went down today.”
Vendor Capprio Saunders-Miller said no warning was given about the move. Mrs Saunders-Miller said a Ministry of Tourism official had informed the vendors previously to clean up their work site and informed them they would return to work next month.
“We clean up the beach, move all the old stuff we are not using. . .we ain’t never thinking they gonna close the beach,” she said. “As far as we are concerned, we going back to work. All the vendors went and got their license and. . .everything they needed to get health certificate…”
A sign reading “notice private property” was seen at the entrance of the gate blocking access to the beach.
Vendor Larry Miller said the company in question had no right to move the vendors’ property.
Hair braider Jennifer Sturrup called the situation “unfair”.
Asked if any Ministry of Tourism officials came to the beach, she replied: “Two people came. They said they was coming back to give us an explanation….. they was in a meeting so they couldn’t do nothing. They left us to fight on our own.”
In March 2016, police clashed with Cabbage Beach vendors and protestors for a second consecutive day after FNM and DNA political factions led a group from Sidney Poitier Bridge to the Paradise Island beach.
Angry demonstrators tore down a fence blocking one of two access points to the beach.
At the time, Dr Minnis called the effort “a sure sign” that Bahamians were fed up with the empty promises offered by the Christie administration.
The Office of the Prime Minister did not respond to a request for comment yesterday.
Ownership of Cabbage Beach was transferred from Atlantis (Brookfield) to a subsidiary of Access Industries in 2014.
In 2019, Supreme Court Justice Gregory Hilton ruled in a matter involving Atlantis Holdings Ltd, the plaintiff in the matter, and a beach vendor, that a public access point in question to Cabbage Beach was a “private access way” and ruled that the vendor was trespassing on the property.
ACCESS POINT CLOSED ‘DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS’
ACCESS Industries released a statement on the controversy surrounding a locked gate blocking entry to Cabbage Beach yesterday, saying the fence was erected due to upcoming work on a $250m project.
The company said due to “safety” concerns during construction, the access point to the beach will be closed.
“Clearing work on the privately owned, vacant tract has begun for a condominium-hotel development,” Access Industries said in a statement sent to The Tribune. “The Paradise Island project is expected to generate more than $250m in investment and economic activity for The Bahamas, including new jobs in construction, tourism and related industries. Due to safety concerns during the work phase, the path that runs over the private tract to the beach will be closed.
“Unauthorised items that had been left on the private property have been carefully collected, and security will have them available for pickup through Friday. The public still can readily access the beach at Beach Club Drive, off Paradise Island Drive, or consider Junkanoo Beach or Montagu Beach on Nassau.
“This new development will be an appealing addition to the amenities on the island, designed as an area of pride that will embrace and feature the local community. Developers are keen to ensure continued local participation, featuring Bahamian workers, artisans and others. The development also plans to include restaurants and retail that will be open to the public.”
Meanwhile, the Bahamas Public Parks and Public Beaches Authority released a statement yesterday which said it is committed to ensuring “full and unobstructed access” to all public beaches.
The statement by the authority’s executive chairman, Shanendon Cartwright said the agency is aware of the events which occurred at Cabbage Beach and is working diligently to “resolve all matters concerned”.
The Tribune has previously reported that the Cabbage Beach easement, adjacent to the Riu Paradise Island Hotel, has been in use for decades by the public and vendors that work on the beach. However, for more than 20 years, the property itself has been owned and operated by private companies.
In 2014, the ownership of the Cabbage Beach property was transferred from Atlantis (Brookfield) to a subsidiary of Access Industries, the One&Only Ocean Club. Prior to the sale of the property, Atlantis (Brookfield) had allowed access to the beach via private property; however, the company had petitioned the government on several occasions to address the unregulated vendor operation there.
Those overtures by Atlantis (Brookfield) led to a number of minor changes to the way vendors were allowed to operate at the site: business licences were needed, along with other requirements.
When Atlantis (Brookfield) finally sold the property to Access Industries, the sale agreement mandated that Atlantis (Brookfield) would address the vendor issue - with Access Industries requesting that they be removed totally as the company was looking to extend its One&Only Ocean Club brand onto the Cabbage Beach property.
The issue last came to a boiling point in 2016 when fences were erected to keep the vendors out. This led to a protest in March 2016, when dozens of irate vendors blocked the traffic flow to the Sidney Poitier Bridge. Some vendors tore down the fence as well and later faced court charges.
Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, who took part in the protest in 2016, had suggested the criminal records of those protestors would be expunged if he won the 2017 general election.
In 2018, a magistrate discharged ten protesters from the matter concerning the destruction of a fence after officers failed to appear in court to testify and multiple adjournments in the case.
Comments
John 2 years, 10 months ago
Marvin Dames is ALWAYS on the WRONG side of the fence. Rather than having the police there to ENSURE Bahamian vendors ACCESS to the beach, based on BAHAMIAN LAW, he has Bahamian police BLOCKING BAHAMIANS access to their own beaches. Marvin Dames is an agent. Marvin Dames must not be re-elected, periott!
themessenger 2 years, 10 months ago
@john, you mussy been smoking some of Lincoln Bains weed. What Bahamian law gives right of beach access across private property? Bahamians have always had the right of way from the sea to the high water mark of the beach but that doesn't give them the right to go traipsing across peoples land. But then I guess you would be okay with people crossing through your yard whenever they felt like it to patronize a bar or numbers house. How in their right mind would buy private property if one of the stipulations for purchase is right of way to all and sundry?
Cobalt 2 years, 10 months ago
John is an idiot. Don’t waste your time on him.
John 2 years, 10 months ago
Cobalt why you always bringing your mother in your posts? Let that ole bag rip
Emilio26 2 years, 8 months ago
John actually that beach is private property.
John 2 years, 10 months ago
So if the brazen foreigners claim they had rights to block access to the beach, what gave them rights to remove the vendors’ property from the beach and damage and dump it on the side of the streets? Bahamians must now fight fire with fire. Why have to fight these unfair type battles to survive in your own country? If they know Bahamians will not settle for the access being blocked off or their property being removed from the beach they will not try it again. Everyone have a right to defend their person, their property and their right to earn a living.
themessenger 2 years, 10 months ago
Again, I suppose you would have no issue with the people that trespassed through your property storing all their broke up belonging or leaving their trash there without you being unable to dispose of them?
John 2 years, 10 months ago
you hate Bahamians to the bone dude..admit it
John 2 years, 10 months ago
Repeat after me ‘ If I Don’t Like Bahamians, I Should leave their country..now!’
TimesUp 2 years, 10 months ago
Hold on, I thought we were all on 1 accord about people squatting on private property.
Instead of the government being "blindsided" by a private company doing what they want with their own private property shouldn't they instead be more proactive in zoning reserved no-build beach access for Bahamians?
If you are dumb enough to allow all our beach to be sold and I buy it how can you tell me I cant do with it as I wish?
And what about the threatening remarks in this article? Did the developer steal the deeds to the property or did they lawfully purchase the land?
John 2 years, 10 months ago
Obviously you are ignorant and misinformed. NO ONE can own a beach in The Bahamas. Any beach below and up to the high water is public property. It belongs to Bahamians and should be accessible by anyone who wants to visit the beach. But yes a lot of people covert the beaches and claim they are private. And they use private security, vicious dogs, barbed wire fences and yes even ignorant or misinformed (or some on the take$) to enforce their claim. In this instance the question is beach access. The foreigners claim they purchased rights to the access when they purchased the property. But the Minister of Tourism says no. The public was granted an easement to access the beach and it is still in force. That easement is still in place. And if those who thought they owned the land was mistaken, ignorance is no excuse under the law. Time to lock them up for damaging property, theft of personal property, and making false claims of land ownership and denying public access to public beaches. Sometimes you have to tell these rude and greedy and disrespectful foreigners to pack their million dollar investments and hop on the plane to somewhere else. They genuine and legitimate investors will never become embroiled in these type situations.
immigrant 2 years, 10 months ago
Are these people squatting on land that they do not own? Where is Bannister and his bulldozers? Oh yeah, different sets of rules for different people.
ohdrap4 2 years, 10 months ago
If they don't have bread, let them eat brioche. Yep.
What this company has to do is foot the bill to keep the access open and safe during construction. Ask the contractors, they can build covered wooden runways like they do when building down town.
M0J0 2 years, 10 months ago
lol same fence Mr. Minnis push down.
Dawes 2 years, 10 months ago
As this became political from a number of years ago, the only way to sort this would be for Government to buy the land off access industries at market price. But they won't want to do that due to cost. From what i have heard this is private land, which means it is the owners property to do with it as they see fit (within town planning rules). If however there is also public access /right of way this must continue.
tribanon 2 years, 10 months ago
Let's not kid ourselves here. D'Aguilar is saying to himself: "If I owned that property I wouldn't want those vendors and others like them roaming all over the beach."
Corrupt elected officials like Minnis and D'Aguilar have been wrongfully allowing foreigners to take away beach access from us Bahamians just about everywhere around New Providence and Paradise Island. As a result, the few remaining beaches that Bahamians can still visit to enjoy the sea and get relief from the summer heat are often over-crowded.
I remember in my childhood years when going to the beach with my family was very much an enjoyable part of the Bahamian way of life. Sadly those days are gone thanks to our corrupt greedy politicians. Now those same corrupt politicians all too willingly use our taxpayer funded police officers to keep us away from the beaches that the foreign property owners do not want the Bahamian public to enjoy.
Everywhere we turn, we are now being told that we are second class citizens in our country with no right to enjoy what is rightfully our God given natural heritage. Throughout the pandemic Minnis made it abundantly clear that we must do as he ordered and just stay where we belong in our hot stuffy homes and away from the beaches. Meanwhile 'our' beaches were enjoyed by their foreign owners and the few tourists alike. Truly sad for the vast majority of Bahamians who can no longer even enjoy their God given natural heritage.
themessenger 2 years, 10 months ago
@tribanon, Let's not kid ourselves here either. Tribanon is saying to himself: "If I owned that property I wouldn't want those vendors and others like them roaming all over the beach." And lets not delude ourselves into believing that the Minnis government was responsible for giving alla we beach front to the furrirners dem either. As a former minister is the Pindling government once boasted " God gave this land to the PLP!" The question also begs, who did they give it/sell it to???
John 2 years, 10 months ago
How about 'if you don't want to deal with Bahamians, pack your bags and take your racist, hater self back where you came from. We have bowed down to this foolishness too long. I have accessed beaches by boat to have homeowners release vicious guard dogs on the beach..we dealt with those dogs.on our next visit..in a permanent sort of way.
themessenger 2 years, 10 months ago
Nice of you to incriminate yourself by admitting to permanently disposing of someone’s dogs who were just doing their job keeping undesirables like yourself off of private property.
tribanon 2 years, 10 months ago
The most undesirable of the "undesirables" in our country today are the corrupt politicians, the lawbreaking owners of beachfront property, the lawless illegal immigrants and the few remaining 'die-hard' Minnis supporters like yourself.
KapunkleUp 2 years, 10 months ago
Yup, I remember those days too. Jumping off the old bridge going over the canal, sitting up on the hill next to the Grand Hotel, Holiday Inn beach, that old beat up looking Ocean Club beach bar. Those were the good old days! It won't be long before the whole of PI is gonna have a huge PRIVATE PROPERTY sign right by the bridge.
tribanon 2 years, 10 months ago
And you can bet your last dollar that if Minnis remains PM after this next national general election, and D'Aguilar is re-elected, they will allow Royal Caribbean to erect at the western end of Paradise Island "a huge PRIVATE PROPERTY sign" with a fenced perimeter and security guards standing nearby to prevent Bahamians from stepping foot anywhere near the beachfront property they intend to develop for exclusive use by their cruise ship passengers.
Emilio26 2 years, 10 months ago
Tribanon and do you really think the PLP under Brave Davis leadership would make it any better?
Sickened 2 years, 10 months ago
If it's private property then they can block access - simple!
tribanon 2 years, 10 months ago
Our corrupt politicians have been wrongfully permitting the foreign owners of beachfront properties to 'illegally' remove the public easements that have all along existed for the purpose of ensuring Bahamians had access to the beaches. This must stop, and all public access easements and rights should be fully restored at the earliest possible time.
stislez 2 years, 10 months ago
Bey its don't take rocket science jed, ya can't squat on private people land unless you haitian! I wonder why there wasn't a specific portion on the beach allocated for vendors which was either bought by the government or sumtin. Like y the vendors over PI dont have a structure like the straw market built for them......i memeba da lil jick jick starw market ova pi wat they had hide all the way away from the hotels by atlantis employee parking lot..smh....half the tourist visit atlantis and didnt even know that was there. My main point is come like atlantis neva wanted that indigenous bahamian experience for their guest, they want provide all the entertainment and stuff themselves. SIDE NOTE.........bey ine ga lie minnis should feel like shit bey. To know how he gone out der fightin wit da people the first time when he KNEW KNEW that that was just for show and that private property is private property. He knew that the pressure they applied would not last, he knew. But his goal wasn't to help no bahamians, he was helping himself win election. He knew dem man dem was gone come back under his watch and do dis exact shit cuz he know the meaning of private property. Dis da same man who say een nothin he cud do bout the oil drillin cuz the contract was sign under a different administration and that a contract is binding. So une tink he did know about the private property contract the company who own that space signed. He knew, and he also knew how to buy time to fool bahamian people and win election. You know whats even more crazy is the simple tactics politicians use to get you to vote is still work on people in 3rd world countries. This tells you alot about the education level of people. How do you allow yourself to be persuaded by these corrupted politicians who never fullfil their promises to the people? Over and over Bahamians have been persuaded by just 2 groups, fnm and plp. Just 2! Every 5 years! Das crazy thats even insane that we keep voting in the same thing expecting different results. We as bahamians should know allllllllllllllllllllllll the political tactics these corrupted politicians use to try persuade us to vote for them. Why we keep going back to drawing table with them baffles me. Only thing i can boil it down to is education level, like really.........how smart are you?
bahamianson 2 years, 10 months ago
The government needs to erect gates and label them public access , so foreigners and bahamians can not acquire the land or decieve bahamians into tiinking they own it. Cable beach strip needs to also be addressed. The Bahamas government can solve the problem , just erect official governmental beach access along cable beach and paradise island beach.Problem solved.
truetruebahamian 2 years, 10 months ago
The vendors are invasive and destroy the peace and serenity that we seek when spending time at the beach. They will borrow your stuff permanently if you go in the water and leave it unattended. They are generally pushy and rude and should not even be considered being allowed to ply their broke down annoying attitudes anywhere at all.
themessenger 2 years, 10 months ago
Agreed! No beach vendor should be granted a license unless they have successfully completed the Bahama Host program in good manners and civility.
John 2 years, 10 months ago
Yall two showing how you red your necks are! or is it the same racist posting under different names. Bahamas will be for Bahamians, whether you likes it or likes it not.
themessenger 2 years, 10 months ago
@john, or should that be @jackass, just so you know I am an 8th generation Bahamian, when you and yours reach? If ignorance could sell you’d be a billionaire and make Bill Gates look like a pauper, one of these days they’ll develop a vaccine for stupidly and put you out of your misery.
John 2 years, 10 months ago
Test it on your mother dude ! You are a anti Bahamian racist who have a problem with anyone who stand up for rights of Bahamians. The vaccine alert have you brain dead dude. Go back home dude
themessenger 2 years, 10 months ago
Lol,@john, Bey, your ignorance bank account growing by the minute, seems to me you is only open ya mout to change feet. All dat Converse toe jam is give you stink breath too, go brush ya teet and sit ya dumb sorry ass small.
Emilio26 2 years, 10 months ago
John it seems to me like you want a Bahamas where bahamians are governed by socialist laws.
bahamianson 2 years, 10 months ago
ok, then the government should have classes that go along with the vendors license. In order to get a license or renew one, classes must be completed. In these classes , one can teach exactly what you want them to know .
One 2 years, 10 months ago
Let's not mix up the issue of access and vendors. We have a right to access the beaches as civilians for leisure. However, we don't have a right to set up a business where ever we please.
Are these vendors authorized to operate at this location? Do they have a business license and pay the appropriate fees related to operating a business? Do they have the appropriate facilities to support patrons (parking, washrooms, waste removal, emergency access)? Are they in compliance with the relevant codes (fire, health and safety)
TalRussell 2 years, 10 months ago
Think about it this way when not a damn single thing has improved for the natives' having lawful beach access, since Sir Stafford Lofthouse Sands who himself never owned a plot of beachfront land for his personal use during his 1946-1967 years of activity of engaging in the transferring beachfront plots titles over to the realm's race-class privileged natives and foreigners alike? The most updated examples of this are to be seen in today's blocking of the natives' access onto Cabbage, accompanied with a royal shaftin' - currently being experienced by the much personable and charismatic Comrade TobySmith, yes?
TalRussell 2 years, 10 months ago
Weird but years back they erected and padlocked gates to block access to FREEport's private beaches. and what was the response of the more militantly inclined FREEporters? They swiftly made their way to cut those damn chains and locks off be flungin wide-open those locked gates.
Go ask King's Counsel Comrade Freddie, if they ever again attempted to block private beach access to FREEporters.
Only on the Island of Nassau would they foolishly expect to get away with blockin' the natives', access to private beaches.
Just you go try pulling off such blockin' access foolishness on Abaco, yes?
SP 2 years, 10 months ago
Why is anyone surprised? The PLP did the same thing and now their ugly twin is doing it too! B
VOTE them both into political hell along with Pindling, Ingraham, and Christie.
John 2 years, 10 months ago
PERFECT TIMING! Don’t cast a single vote for anyone until there is a clear, legal, permanent agreement that Bahamians will have access to the beach. Unfettered ! You can see by the posts from the foreigners that they don’t want Bahamians on the beach. This beach in particular . The tourist dollar is not for Bahamians . If I was Prime Minister, NO future development will happen closer than 200 feet from the the beach. Every beach will have full access with parking, showers restrooms car charging stations, rental equipment chairs umbrellas etc. and beach wardens etc. these lies they boldly tell on Bahamians just to exclude them from employment and economic activities must stop or be discredited! How is the country getting RICHER and RICHER and BAHAMIANS getting POORER and POORER?
John 2 years, 10 months ago
Time this government realizes there is only ONE BAHAMAS. And the success of many businesses are predicated on the fact that they are located in The Bahamas. So governments must no longer allow these businesses to come set up shop with the exclusion of Bahamians or allowing them tax exemptions into infinity. Even now the time has come for Bahamians to be allowed to purchase part ownership in these lucrative and profitable businesses. Shares should be made available locally for Bahamians and residents of The Bahamad. Even for cruise lines which is a multi Billion and very profitable industry.
themessenger 2 years, 10 months ago
@john man you gat to stop smokin Lincoln dem weed bey. When were Bahamians ever denied participation and ownership in business? The problem with too many Bahamians is they don't want to work for anything and we like free tings too much. I we can't have free lunch its hands up and free up!
tribanon 2 years, 10 months ago
You sound very much like the typical representative of a greedy foreign enterprise who says pretty much the same thing while royally shafting us in the backside. An instant case in point is Royal Caribbean's number one point man for duping Minnis and D'Aguilar.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID