The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A key opponent of the $200m Rosewood Exuma project yesterday revealed it has been forced to terminate 53 staff amid its own planning approvals dispute with the Government as impacted workers pledged to “go to Rawson Square and fight for our jobs”.

Now-former employees, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Tribune Business that the redundancies are set to have a “devastating” impact on Black Point and surrounding central Exuma settlements just a week before the May 12 general election. Noting that as many as 25-30 residents from that community alone were employed by Turtlegrass Resort & Island Club, they added that it will impact both families and the local businesses that staff patronised.

They spoke out after Turtlegrass, which has been leading the opposition and legal challenges to the neighbouring Rosewood Exuma project on Big Sampson Cay, revealed it had no choice but to release the workers after the Government’s regulatory agencies ordered that it halt all construction work on its own site amid a permit dispute.

Turtlegrass and its principal, Bob Coughlin, in a statement confirming the terminations revealed they had been “compelled to halt all construction activities following a government-issued ‘cease and desist’ order, despite having secured the required permits and approvals from the appropriate local authorities”.

They asserted that the controversy arose after they scaled down their resort development plan given the uncertainties, unanswered questions and “environmental risks” that emerged when Miami-based developer, Yntegra, and its $200m Rosewood Exuma project were unveiled on land immediately adjacent to Turtlegrass’s eco-resort property.

This prompted Mr Coughlin to instead focus solely on the construction of his own residential home at the Big Sampson Cay site, plus two supporting cottages and infrastructure. Turtlegrass added that it had received all necessary permits and approvals from the relevant government regulators for the work it was undertaking, only for the Department of Physical Planning to suddenly in February 2026 demand that it obtain full site plan approval.

The developer added that, rather than seek site plan approval that could take months, it instead applied for site plan approval exemption - something it described as routine for small-scale Family Island projects, and which is normally granted swiftly. However, this has not been forthcoming and, stating that it had undertaken weeks’ long effort to negotiate and resolve the situation, Turtlegrass said the Department of Physical Planning decided against granting such an exemption.

As a result, with all construction work halted and costs mounting, Turtlegrass and Mr Coughlin said they were left with no choice but to release the 53-strong workforce given that the ‘cease and desist’ order has been in place since February 2026. They also hit out at what they termed double standards, contrasting their treatment with how the Government has dealt with permit applications and approvals requested by Yntegra.

And, in a thinly-veiled suggestion that the Government’s actions may be motivated by the Turtlegrass Judicial Review challenge to the neighbouring Rosewood Exuma development, Turtlegrass and Mr Coughlin asserted that they had been building for two years “with no permitting issues from the Government” until they began “asking legitimate questions about the Yntegra project.

“This is not a case of missing approvals. All necessary permits were properly obtained through the established local channels in Black Point, Exuma, as required,” said Mr Coughlin. “The issue is that, suddenly, those approvals came to be disregarded by central authorities in Nassau.

“We were repeatedly told that local government approval was appropriate for the small-scale work we were doing, but now those same approvals granted in Exuma are being overridden by the central government, in our view, without justification.” It appears likely that a second Judicial Review challenge could be mounted unless the situation is resolved.

Turtlegrass added that the “harsh treatment” shown towards its project contrasts with the “red carpet” that it asserts the Government has provided for Yntegra, which includes using Bahamian taxpayer dollars to pay for high-powered, expensive UK attorneys, chiefly Edward Fitzgerald KC, to defend the regulatory agencies against the former’s Judicial Review challenge.

Asserting that this “raises serious concerns about fairness and transparency”, Turtlegrass added: “Turtlegrass has been actively building for more than two years with no permitting issues from the Government until it began asking legitimate questions about the Yntegra project. The timing of the cease-and-desist order raises serious concerns about fairness, consistency and the even‑handed application of the law….

“Turtlegrass has made continuous, good faith efforts to resolve any concerns raised by the Department of Physical Planning and the Town Planning Committee to allow for the withdrawal of the cease-and-desist order since it was issued in early February.

“Inexplicably, the authorities have refused to budge despite knowing what this would mean for our workers. Unfortunately, we must now challenge this decision in court. As a result, construction activities remain halted and the entire construction team has been put out of work.”

The terminations could not have come at a worse time for the Government given the imminent May 12 general election. They will impact the constituency presently held by Chester Cooper, deputy prime minister and minister of tourism, investment and aviation.

One impacted Turtlegrass employee, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Tribune Business that the Government should have reached an agreement with the resort to resolve the construction halt and preserve Bahamian jobs. “It’s a big impact for the community of Black Point,” they confirmed, with Turtlegrass describing itself as the largest employer in the central Exumas before yesterday.

“We had over 25-30 people going to Turtlegrass daily. They are all being affected as of today. That was our livelihood, our bread and butter. There’s nothing around the community for us to do. Some may find jobs in construction, but they are not going to find a job that pays as well as Turtlegrass. The persons who worked at Turtlegrass patronised businesses in Black Point; the restaurants, the bars, the wash houses.

“It’s heart-breaking. We had mostly Bahamians employed at Turtlegrass and I feel the Government should have come to an agreement with Turtlegrass. There was never a late pay cheque. Every Friday that pay cheque was in the account. The whole community has been affected by this. We may have a new dock, a new airport, but Mr Coughlin was a heaven-sent to the people of Black Point and community of Black Point. He’s a genuine person,” the now ex-employee added.

“I just wish it could have been resolved so that it did not lead to this. We have to pay our bills and put food on the table. When it comes to people’s livelihoods, that’s a different story. Some people may be living pay cheque to pay cheque. I can’t believe they [the Government] couldn’t come to the table and resolve it with Turtlegrass.”

The former worker added that the terminations were especially ill-timed because Exuma’s tourism season is starting to slow down now, having gone through the Easter season, and will not resume in force until November/December 2026. “I am still hoping for the best for Turtlegrass,” they said. “You don’t find persons like Mr Coughlin who look out for the community.

“I will be there for Turtlegrass. If they call me today, tomorrow, I will be there. It’s just what it is. It’s disheartening but it is what it is, but we’ll pick up the pieces. I’ve supported Treasure Cay from the beginning, and I will be there at the end.”

Another ex-Turtlegrass employee, also laid-off yesterday, had no doubt that the blame for the impasse lies with the Government. “He was the only one in the Exuma cays who had the most employees from Exuma,” they said of Mr Coughlin. “And he was the biggest payer in Exuma. We have our families to feed. Our government, they are not for the people. We are wiling to go down to Rawson Square and fight for our jobs.”

Turtlegrass, further explaining its position, said: “Turtlegrass received authorisation for the current work being undertaken from the Department of Environmental Planning & Protection, Forestry Unit, Docks Committee, and holds site plans and permits approved by the Black Point District Council and the Ministry of Works for everything built or under construction. 

“Two years ago, both the Government and the Bahamian public were made fully aware that, in light of the excessive scale, encroachment and negative environmental risks of the neighbouring Yntegra’s development plans, Turtlegrass voluntarily scaled back its work. The work which had been underway prior to the cease and desist consisted solely of a single residential home, two accompanying cottages and infrastructure to support them – all fully permitted. Plans for the previously contemplated development were placed on indefinite hold with full transparency and public notice.

“Yet suddenly, in February, the Department of Physical Planning decided that we needed full site plan approval (SPA)for the small residential work underway – a process that could take many months or even longer.

“Turtlegrass requested SPA exemption, a routine path in the Family Islands for this kind of work, which usually proceeds under the same local permits that we already have in hand. After weeks of attempts at constructive dialogue in an effort to resolve the situation, this week, Department of Physical Planning abruptly decided that no exemption would be granted.”