The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

COMPASS Point’s restaurant will close at the end of July, its proprietor confirmed yesterday, following the previous shuttering of the resort.

Leigh Rodney told Tribune Business that the former resort huts were still being taken down, adding: “We kind of hit a stumbling block with the huts, but we got three of them dismantled and the other 10 will be going shortly.”

He closed the resort following the September 2021 general election after the former Minnis administration failed to address concerns he raised over the regulatory regime for hotels, particularly the licensing process, viewing it as unnecessarily bureaucratic and costly. He even has a sign posted outside the former Compass Point resort blaming Dionisio D’Aguilar, former minister of tourism and aviation, for the closure.

Despite the Government changing hands, Mr Rodney said he has had not been contacted by the Davis administration. “They know who I am and they know where I am,” he added. “They don’t want to eliminate any of their red tape or save any money. They don’t want to do any of that. Neither administration, and certainly not the last one.

“There is no chance of me re-opening the resort and, as I told the last administration, you live with the leaders you have. As the sign on my property reads, they left you with $4bn more in debt, and the debt crisis is coming as interest rates are going to go up by 10 percent and people are going to look around and wonder if The Bahamas could support its debt and all sorts of things can happen.”

With the restaurant closing in July, the property will now turn become “residential”. Mr Rodney will not be renting or selling the resort component, but has received proposals to rent the restaurant space that he is considering. He will reinvest in the resort site to convert it into residential units.

Mr Rodney added: “Some of the employees I had were good employees, and they will have opportunities all over the island, and the others will move around like they always do.

“I’ve been thoughtful of the employees. I can look them all in the eye, and they know what’s occurred and why it’s occurred. I just won’t be running a business here in The Bahamas any more, but I’ll still enjoy The Bahamas on vacation like I did in the past. I can be just more of a witness and a bystander than being frustrated by the nonsense.”