Ladies and gentlemen:

On September 16, 2005 the divided Harbour Island Town Council approved,
by one vote, the latest request for another Miami-style foreign condominium project on the island. Application for a marina facility, as part of this project, has yet to be entertained but will be. This brings to four (4) the number of marinas in varying stages and to three (3) the number of condo developments also in varying stages. All are foreign and look as though they were transplanted from South Florida. Harbour Island is one and one half (1 1/2) square miles in size !

The developer of this most recent and controversial venture, either by luck or design, was able to have his building approvals done locally, as opposed to being sent to Nassau for consideration. This was due to the fact the building applications were submitted piece piece over a period of time, and no one application exceeded the size or expense levels required to have to go to Nassau.

This development is to be in the midst of a residential neighbourhood of private single family dwellings consisting of Bahamian and Expat homeowners. These owners made formal objection at a hearing. Some voiced their protests on their own, some through an attorney so engaged to match articulation ability with the always present (in these matters) foreign-representing attorney. All was to no avail and once again Bahamian concerns were left at the side of the road.

There continues much debate over the question of more development at Harbour Island period. This is especially so as concerns foreign projects of this nature which, to a great extent, is viewed as a one way exit trip for the profits reaped. However other factors enter into this, one of which is the question of the style of these condos being appropriate or not for the Family Island atmosphere. Another is that little room seems to be left for Bahamian entrepreneurs to have success considering that the foreign businesses have managed to attract all or most of the potential spending money on the island. Many Brilanders might well do nicely with less of this saturation.

Why can not the Family Islands remain Bahamian in its business environment? Why is it we have to mimic developments that look and are so much like those in Florida? Are we, as part of the Family Island portion of our Nation, giving in to becoming a suburb of Miami/Ft Lauderdale ?

The success and popularity gained to date in the Family Islands comes because of our special Bahamian atmosphere. This includes, in part, our old world charm and architecture, very friendly and easy going people and a refreshing simple sophistication toward business. This is then backed up with personal relationships with our 85% or so annually repeating visitors, algae-free shorelines and beaches, and superb fishing and boating.

Ironically this "popularity" is what got the attention of the foreign developers in the first place. Harbour Island was just awarded "BEST" island status by Travel & Leisure Magazine. It seems ludicrous that this status should now run the risk of being buried.

Two of the three locales of these projects are the sites of former full service resort hotels. Both Romora Bay Club and Valentines Resort employed 40 or 50 Bahamians each when operating. Each had fully-staffed hotel departments such as kitchen and dining room, beverage service, yard maintenance, housekeeping, engineering, office and front desk andmanagement (Bahamian). All guests arrived and departed from our airport at North Eleuthera. An entire industry of land and water taxis from Harbour Island and Eleuthera developed over the years to service these visitors.

Now enter a possible four marinas. (We already have two large ones operating.) The increased number of yachts arrive directly at the island, circumventing need for the land and water taxis. The yachts are the accommodation facilities for those on board, so no hotels needed. Most take many of their meals on board, and have foreign serving staff as part of their crew, reducing the need for restaurants and Bahamian serving staff on the island. In all cases their beverage cabinets are well stocked prior to arrival, reducing business at local Bahamian owned wholesale and retail liquor outlets.

Now the condominimum villages. One is already taking up the ground of a former full service resort hotel that employed many Bahamians. One more, when built, will do likewise at another former resort hotel site. By their very nature the condo villages do not provide the amount of employment or the amount of tourist dollar flow resort hotels do.

Between the marinas and the condos we have for Harbour Island: minimal additional employment locally: minimal dollars staying here; maximum dollars leaving the country in the pockets of foreigners: maximum necessary addition to the already overcrowded streets with traffic gridlock: and maximum chance of ruining the charm of an island that was just selected NUMBER ONE in great part due to what it is and has been, not what it is becoming.

The negative environmental concerns are awesome, and deserve complete and separate attention. Suffice to say that with only two marinas in completed operation and the other continuing development along the harbour shoreline the past few years, the present state is already disastrous. The harbour front is a sea of algae. Some floating, some growing on the bottom. No more do children swim in the harbour, it is too disgusting. The yachts at both present marinas dump their waste tanks directly into the harbour. While we hear of planned better arrangements, to date nothing has improved.

One can not imagine what happens with more development to come.

We have in this country all the natural God-given requirements, including the people, to make full-service resorts work in the Family Islands. Resort success has been proven time and time again, and not the least of that in Harbour Island. Why are we letting all this slip away in favor of the Miami-style condos and marinas?

Central and South ELEUTHERA has not been as fortunate as Harbour Island.

Many from that mainland come here daily to work. If more development of any type had been directed to Eleuthera and resort hotels encouraged here instead of these stagnant condo projects, more employment could be offered all around. There is a realistic possibility that these resorts could be Bahamian-backed and owned. Certainly Ma Ruby at Tingum Village has pioneered the way and now that basic approach could be easily brought into meet with the times. Nevil Major is working hard at making his place a success and of course the famous Runaway Hill Club was Bahamian financed-and-owned and as hard as many here tried to keep it that way, is now foreign-owned.

It can be done and should be done, but what Bahamian in his right mind would risk the attempt, with all so sewed up and saturated by foreigners?

Harbour Island is presently not under Bahamian control. Bahamians here are being controlled. This is not to minimize the importance of foreign investment and concerns. We could not exist without our 225 or so foreign-owned houses, each employing an average of 1.5 Bahamians full time. Certainly the steadfast remaining three full service resorts that are foreign-owned provide many jobs and flowing tourist dollars as well.

However enough is enough. Let’s try to redirect what may be left for Bahamian advantage, to try to provide for our people to become something other than be unable to go beyond the servant level.

As number one "Best Island," it is obvious that practical business intuition direct the powers to be to keep Briland the way it has been. This island has such a mega-economy and the industry here is so complex and complicated that professional administration is required to attain and maintain its golden goose status. Harbour Island could easily be the stereotype destination that Tourism's Public Relations people like to flaunt, but not until it is appreciated that as things stand now the guiding assistance
has not been made available to us.

Richard Malcolm
Harbour Island
October 3, 2005

Richard's photo essay of the harbour in crisis can be viewed online at www.briland.com/HarbourDegrades.htm

alot to read, caught the first couple paragraphs, anyway, where on earth are they going to find the room, last time I was there that tiny island was jammed right up ..

Hey i got a beach here on Eastern rd, overlooking rose island, with scenic veiws of the harbour, cruise ships and Paradise island, they can pay to make a marina here, ill even chuck in some dolphins or something, whatever's cheap .. i needs the cash yah see, well I just wont tell the landlords is all :)

No room left ... my biggest question is how to get Bahamian landowners to not sell their remaining property to these speculators, given the awesome temptation to give in to the highest bidder. The land prices here and nearby are just insane at the moment!

No room left ... my biggest question is how to get Bahamian landowners to not sell their remaining property to these speculators, given the awesome temptation to give in to the highest bidder. The land prices here and nearby are just insane at the moment!

gov't has to step in and do something- not allow anymore development on little harbour island. i need to go there before it gets too bad because really all it does is make the native brilanders poor lackees in their own land while all in the name of the dreaded tourism development (i get a bad pain in my side everytime I see those two words together) I can see why some would say that Bahamians have an inferior complex when it comes to ex-pats and tourist because all you see is excess and presumed wealth in them when in actuality what we have in the Bahamas no amount of money can buy. Lord I just hope our water doesnt end up looking all murky like Miami Beach or The florida keys.

I hope someone is listening" Obie and Allison can you hear me?

when i visited it was mostly Nassau Tourists, and everyone i know goes on "vacation" there ... so where's the rich tourists :D

when i visited it was mostly Nassau Tourists, and everyone i know goes on "vacation" there ... so where's the rich tourists :D

the people who buying the expensive houses how long ago did you go?

the people who buying the expensive houses how long ago did you go?


only a couple houses I saw, did an alarm in one of them for some 2nd home owners, the houses werent anything to talk about.

It definately seemed to me to be a small tourist island though, dont know if I would live there. Was nothing at all to do besides walk around little empty streets in the hot sun, was glad when i left at the end of the day .. there was noone there besides Nassuivians and a couple tourists, and everything was basically closed .. middle of summer.

only a couple houses I saw, did an alarm in one of them for some 2nd home owners, the houses werent anything to talk about.

It definately seemed to me to be a small tourist island though, dont know if I would live there. Was nothing at all to do besides walk around little empty streets in the hot sun, was glad when i left at the end of the day .. there was noone there besides Nassuivians and a couple tourists, and everything was basically closed .. middle of summer.

well times are changing. i have family memebers who are over there building for treco construction and they been there for aat least two years building. All this to say, the harbour island allure my friends use to glorify and bedazzle growing up is of no more, the friendliness of island people will forever be changed all in the name of tje royal bahamian sell- off call tourism development.

Yeah it was a few years ago, maybe 5 ..

Goto Long Island, we still got 100% island living dread :-)
I never thought of going to Harbour Island until I had to do that alarm job.

They need to send the fast ferry to other islands, dont know why they are so stuck on harbour island ..? Spanish wells, that was a funny place ..:shaky:

the same thing i told you or someone else on the other site...

If they have no money develop it themselves...
If they (Bahamians) allready have their own beachfront property...
If no other Bahamian has the time or resources to build there (and i think if it was a bahamian he probably would not have gotten the property that cheap if he got it at all)
If the owners want to sell it for a good price....REAL GOOD PRICE!!!

What in the bloody hell is the problem??

I dont get us as Bahamians....
we have no use for somethings, but when someone esle can use that to a greater advantage we get all pissed about it!

What was this Malcolm guy (in paticular) going to do with it???
Esspeccialy if it brings in jobs and beautifies the place...then why would you want to stand in the way of it....and then get all pissed about it???
I never get this...really i dont, becasue in this paticular case IT IS NOT LIKE THE POEOPLE OF SPANISH WELLS ARE POOR OR HAVE NO OTHER BEACHFRONT OF THEIR OWN.....I MEAN DA BLACK PEOPLE WHO THERE TOO!!
...if i had the money, i would buy it up too...but they probably wont sell it to me cuz im black (firstly) and am probably not buddy buddy with he locals ...and i am convinced that this developer/s KNOWS personaly one or two of the local officials down there and that is how he got the idea to buy up the land, soooo
dont get mad with the developer...get angry with the council members/s who set this deal up!!

This is no takeover kind of job...this is was a planned executed buy out by someone working on the inside with a few of the locals...who probably got a good percentage out of this deal!
And if its condominiums....out of miami no doubt, it will probably be for retired persons looking to live the island life and the group is owned by Cuban Americans or Bahamian Americans who have money and the inside track!
GET OVER IT!

I take it you have never been to Harbour Island, or North Eleuthera for that matter? You sound very Nassauvian, no offense.

Were any locals making any of the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ moneys that Richard Malcolm is talking about, you'd have a point. But you don't :walk: ...

By the way, we have 700 islands in the bahamas and most are as, or more beautiful, than harbor island. "IF" they are getting paid for the land, and the development will create more jobs and pay additional taxes, then it is good for the overall Bahamian Economy. The island is already a tourist Haven, so its a little late to start complaining.

This may not be something all care about, but without foreign development in the Bahamas, we would have nothing but poverty stricken islands and 100% more crime than New Providence already has due to the Bahamas' already sick economy.

Most of us on New Providence would be living in poverty if we chose to move to the islands to live, and this is why we live on New Providence, simply there is no work in the out islands, besides a small array of special industries, and perhaps those foreign development jobs we hear so much debate over (eg. Hotels).

Work, and Jobs, are hard enough to come by on New Providence, to say no to new development, be it foreign or local, which stand to plant more jobs and help pay taxes, is rediculous.

Now if there is no income coming in from the development, such as tax, going towards the Bahamas on a whole, then obviously someone in the Government has to be held responsible, as the idea is to make money, not just allow them to walk right in and take over and leave the Bahamas in the cold.

The majority of Bahamians cannot just walk into a local bank and borrow huge sums of money which are required to start such developments. Hence is the need for Foriegn investment.

Sure, ofcourse the government should be looking at other methods of investment and alternative industries, but we arent in that thread.

Some people may prefer the laid back island living, small shack in the bush, no technology for miles, no cars, and no choices of things to do besides fish, swim, and drink rum (been there done that, it gets old quick). Thats all good.

But meanwhile we have Bahamian children starving and begging for food outside local stores, getting their water from community pumps, the elderly dying left and right from lack of government funding, Families getting raped, beaten, and killed, and citizens getting shot in the head for lack of funds to give a robber. This is the "Real" Bahamas, however much it may hurt, this is what it is like on New Providence, and New Providence accounts for the majority of funds for the entire Bahamas. (And I am from Grand Bahama by the way with roots in Long Island)

As for the environmental issues, they are mostly made of ideas from "foreign" enviromental groups, who really need to get a job. If it is a Bahamian Group with the betterment of the "entire" Bahamas on their mind, then it would not be an issue.

The Bahamas is "one" country, though it has 700 odd islands, it has "one" government. If those that oppose development wish to not be appart of this country and not abide by the laws of the country, then they have the choice to move elsewhere; and even start their own country if they wish.

If they are a foriegnor and own property here, ofcourse they have a say in what happens in their community as does any Bahamian Resident, citizen or not, im just pointing out some facts that certain people are forgetting about.

In the end, it is the Bahamian Public, that has the last say.

Another question, why do some people call it "Briland" when the Island is called Harbour Island? It doesnt make sense at all.

So what Harbour Island turning into overcrowded Nassau now? I was under the assumption that no cars were even allowed there, until I read an article about the govt trying to deal with the out of control traffic situation there. *Suck Teet*, after that the appeal of visiting was lost.

Briland has 1,800 residents, more than 3,000 registered golf carts ... never mind the trucks and cars, too. They've been trying for twenty years to curtail the traffic there. Perhaps they should think about going back to the unpaved roads of my childhood, and slow some of that traffic down.