Turtlegrass Resort CEO: “A Straightforward Solution to East Sampson Cay Impasse: Move the Dock, Fuel and Waste Facilities from the North Bay”

EXUMA – “There is a straightforward solution to the situation in East Sampson Cay – one that could end the current legal disputes, unlock progress for Central Exuma, and benefit Yntegra itself: move the industrial supply dock, fuel and waste facilities away from the North Bay and down to the south of Sampson Cay, where deep water already exists and massive dredging would not be required.”

“We have suggested this to Yntegra repeatedly over the three years since they first announced
their plans to turn the North Bay into a commercial shipping channel. They have refused to engage with it seriously. That refusal is now causing real harm – to Exuma’s environment, to the broader community of developers and stakeholders in Central Exuma, and to Yntegra’s own
timeline.”

“Turtlegrass is not anti-development. We signed our Heads of Agreement for this site in 2023, a year before Yntegra, and we are currently Central Exuma’s largest active employer. We want to see this area thrive.”

“But Yntegra’s insistence on placing an industrial supply dock, fuel and
waste facilities on the North Bay – next to the only shared beach on the island, requiring
massive dredging through shallow waters full of seagrass, conch hatcheries and reef – is a
proposal that cannot and should not proceed as planned.”

“The environmental concerns alone are serious – as demonstrated most recently by the number of Exumians who got up to raise questions and concerns about dredging at Friday’s Town Hall in Georgetown, Exuma. Yntegra claim the North Bay is “mostly sandy bottom” and that dredging will have minimal impact – yet they have produced no environmental models or studies to support this.”

“Their own technical report, produced by BRON, the same firm that designed the project and assigned itself responsibility for managing environmental compliance with it, argues against the southern location on the grounds that it could take away from the visual attractiveness of the location.”

“An environmental report making arguments to protect Yntegra’s own “panoramic views” to justify dredging through thriving coral reefs and seagrass fields should raise serious questions for everyone involved.”

“They also don’t seem to be considering the economic damage their proposal would inflict. The North Bay sits directly between our proposed resort, already the biggest employer in Central Exuma, and Over Yonder Cay, one of the Caribbean’s leading luxury properties.

“Both we and Over Yonder Cay, along with Staniel Cay, are publicly calling for Yntegra to relocate this dock -not because we oppose their development, but because an industrial supply facility and waste facilities in this location is incompatible with the high-value tourism economy and pristine environment that makes Central Exuma a prized place to do business. Yntegra’s own guests will not thank them for it either.”

“The southern alternative is not a concession – it is a better plan. There is already deep water
access to the south of Sampson Cay, meaning no dredging of the North Bay would be required.
Yntegra currently plans two marinas covering more than ten acres at the southern end of the
island; consolidating these would free one location for industrial use without sacrificing their
broader vision. Highborne Cay and the proposed Torch Cay development demonstrate clearly
that a supply facility and a marina can operate side by side.”

“We urge Yntegra to reconsider. The delays, the legal proceedings, and the uncertainty currently hanging over Central Exuma are not inevitable – they are the result of a single planning decision that can still be changed. We remain ready to meaningfully engage the moment Yntegra is willing to do the same.”