The Tribune

By FAY SIMMONS

Tribune Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

After removing more than 4,500 truckloads of debris and 3,500 derelict vehicles from New Providence last year, the government is preparing a more aggressive environmental enforcement campaign that will include spot fines, tougher penalties and the relocation of roadside garages.

Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Zane Lightbourne said the government is “only scratching the surface” with the 4,536 20-yard bins of debris and 3,543 derelict vehicles removed from communities throughout New Providence during 2025.

Speaking during the 2026/2026 Budget debate, Mr Lightbourne said the Davis administration now intends to complement its cleanup efforts with stronger enforcement powers through the introduction of spot fines and fixed penalty notices, arguing that environmental offences can often take too long to be addressed through the courts

“We are also going to couple it this year by issuing stiffer penalties, and we expect to see immediate compliance because in this budget we are debating, and will pass through this process, the spot fines initiative that has been put in DEPP, so that we don't have to wait for the courts to deal with some of these people. We can fine them on the spot."

Mr Lightbourne said the proposed enforcement mechanism would improve compliance while reducing pressure on the judicial system.

"These spot fines and fixed penalty notices provide a practical and efficient way for law enforcement to handle nonsense without immediately involving the courts," he said. "Their primary benefits include streamlined justice, significant time and resource savings, increased rule compliance, and the avoidance of a formal criminal record."

Among the areas being targeted by the government are roadside garages, which have long been a source of complaints from residents concerned about abandoned vehicles, scrap materials and environmental impacts in residential communities.

Mr Lightbourne said the government has identified a property on Gladstone Road that will be prepared to accommodate the relocation of roadside garages as part of a broader effort to address the issue.

"I now announce that at the end of the last term, we identified an area on Gladstone Road that has been granted by the Honourable Prime Minister [Philip Davis KC]to relocate roadside garages," he said.

"The Honourable Minister for Carmichael [Keith Bell] has been the leader of that Cabinet subcommittee, and he has since tagged me in and handed it over to myself. We are looking to remediate this problem of roadside garages, and we have identified a property that needs to be prepped in order for this to happen."

The government revealed earlier this year that several major roadside garage operators had agreed in principle to relocate, and last week officials indicated that a site in the Carmichael area had been identified as part of those efforts.

Mr Lightbourne also said officials are working with other government agencies to address the growing number of derelict vehicles abandoned throughout New Providence.

"We are working with the various law enforcement agencies and ministries, including the Ministry of Works [Clay Sweeting] and Urban Renewal [Lisa Rahming], to identify a site where we can dispose of these derelict vehicles, so that persons can stop leaving them, sometimes in the middle of the road and in parks. It's going to be coupled with fines and law enforcement assistance."

He said the government intends to intensify its cleanup campaign throughout the country, with a particular focus on the capital.

"We will seek to get very innovative and very aggressive with the cleanup of our islands, especially Nassau. Bahamians will be asked to do their part — if you see something, say something."