Eleuthera Threatens a Bill Strike Over Blackouts, Treasure Cay’s $177m Sale Nears Closing, and Fishermen Feel the Diesel Squeeze

Wednesday, October 14, 2026

A late-morning update across the chain: Exuma counts down to tomorrow’s Business Outlook, Eleuthera residents push back on blackouts, Abaco inches toward a long-awaited Treasure Cay closing, Grand Bahama celebrates Youth Month, and in Nassau the national desk turns to fishermen’s fuel costs and disability-rights legislation.

Listen to the full briefing

Exuma: Business Outlook tomorrow

The 20th annual Exuma Business Outlook is tomorrow, Thursday, October 15, at the St. Andrew’s Anglican Church Community Centre in George Town. Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper, Exuma’s MP, leads the speakers under the theme “Strengthening Foundations for Long-Term Prosperity.” Still need a seat? Contact Margaret Albury at The Counsellors, (242) 322-1000. Source: The Tribune

Sampson Cay status: there is still no Supreme Court ruling in the challenge to the Rosewood Exuma environmental approvals.

The far south: a quiet late-morning check

From Inagua and Mayaguana through Acklins, Crooked Island and Ragged Island, we found no new local headlines in this late-morning check of the major newsrooms.

Long Island status only: we still have no new government response to the mailboat delays Our News reported, with empty shelves hitting southern settlements hardest. Residents are still waiting for action. Source: Our News

Cat Island, San Salvador and Rum Cay: no new local headlines.

Eleuthera: residents threaten a BPL bill strike

Bill-pay protest. Eleuthera residents are threatening to withhold Bahamas Power & Light bill payments over persistent outages, appliance damage and what they describe as prolonged delays when seeking compensation. Former local government representative Aldred Albury, of The Current, says he has heard repeated complaints from people who submitted reimbursement claims and never got a resolution, including cases where BPL asked them to resubmit documents it could not find. He wants the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority to investigate if the problem is widespread, and he urged a digital claims portal so files cannot go missing. Source: The Tribune

Governor’s Harbour and Hatchet Bay. Doon McKinney of Governor’s Harbour says she has lost four refrigerators and a dishwasher to power surges over about a year and a half despite whole-house and individual surge protectors, with fridge replacements alone running well over $5,000 before shipping and disposal. She says outages can hit multiple times a day and sometimes last many hours, costing her Airbnb business when guests will not stay without air conditioning, and she questions whether Central Eleuthera’s power system can support major proposed developments while existing customers struggle. Yuwanda Roberts of Hatchet Bay says she can barely keep a phone charged or rest between shifts, and that surges damaged her air conditioning and a living-room fan.

BPL’s recent picture. Company WhatsApp updates in recent days have cited generation shortfalls, a Rock Sound station issue, faults at Hatchet Bay generating equipment, emergency repairs to rental generation units, and rotational supply across North and Central Eleuthera. Calendar reminder: this Saturday, October 17, Devynne Charlton’s Barrier Breakers free hurdles clinic is at Preston H. Albury High School in Rock Sound. Source: Our News

Andros, the Berry Islands and Bimini: no brand-new local headlines in this check.

Abaco: Treasure Cay’s $177m sale “well on its way”

Closing checklist. Bahamas Investment Authority director Phylicia Woods-Hanna, the government’s investment chief, says the long-awaited completion of Treasure Cay’s sale is “well on its way,” with pre-construction and demolition permits already obtained for the $177 million redevelopment. She told Tribune Business the Meister family, as vendors, and Jacksonville-based GreenePointe Holdings with principal Edward Burr are working through a final closing checklist and could finish before month’s end. Plans are done, she said, and the buyer was advised to hold community meetings to sensitise residents. Source: The Tribune

Why Abaco cares. Mr Burr signed a Heads of Agreement with the first Davis administration in September 2024. GreenPointe has been marketing a marina founders programme with 47 founding slip opportunities for vessels from about 50 to 120 feet and beyond, promising the return of the Tipsy Seagull Bar & Grille and a future Marina Village. Immediate past Abaco Chamber of Commerce president Daphne DeGregory-Miaoulis said the deal sounds more positive than it has, but she is still not going to the bank on it — while stressing North Abaco desperately needs Treasure Cay’s rebirth as an economic engine after Hurricane Dorian. Bill McLean of the Beach Villas Owners Association said the sale is complex because it involves dozens of land parcels and title work, with unobtrusive signs that both sides are inching toward closing.

Grand Bahama: Youth Month march, and two reminders

From Voice to Vision. Young people, youth organisations and community leaders took to Freeport’s streets on Sunday for the Grand Bahama National Youth Month March and Rally under the theme “From Voice to Vision.” The march began at St George’s High School and ended with a Junkanoo rush-out by the Platinum Knights. The Ministry of Youth and Sports’ Division of Youth organised the event as part of National Youth Month 2026. Source: The Tribune

Still watching on Grand Bahama. Union leader Obie Ferguson is warning the government to pay former Grand Lucayan workers by Friday; the government’s position is that workers were paid and that what remains is a dispute over the amounts. Please keep sharing: 75-year-old Lynda Pinder of Lewis Yard, who lives with Alzheimer’s, has been missing since late September. If you have seen her, call the police.

Nassau and the nation: fishermen, seniors, and still watching

Fishermen’s diesel squeeze. Keith Carroll, president of the National Fisheries Association of The Bahamas, says Bahamian fishermen are absorbing rising diesel costs — about $7.44 a gallon — and the loss of VAT recoveries on business expenses after unprepared food became VAT-exempt rather than zero-rated from April 1. Buy $30,000 of fuel, he said, and that is about $3,000 of VAT you can no longer offset. Operators have little control over the prices buyers pay for catch. He called the lobster season good overall, estimating only about 10 to 15 percent of lobster stays in The Bahamas, with the rest exported, and said fishermen have adjusted to U.S. tariffs rising from 10 percent to 12 percent because they have no other choice. Source: The Tribune

Senior Citizens Bill and disability law. The Disabled Persons Organization, led by president Antoine Munroe, is calling for swift passage of the Senior Citizens Bill and proposed amendments to the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities) Act, marking Blindness Awareness Month and Older Persons Month. The group says the Senior Citizens Bill would strengthen protections against abuse, neglect and exploitation, and that disability-law amendments expected before the House shortly could improve enforcement and accessibility. Ahead of White Cane Safety Day on October 15, the DPO urged the public to recognise the white cane as a symbol of independence. Source: The Tribune

Still watching. On the wider capital desk we are still watching the Stokes Beach access fight in Yamacraw, the Sandals Royal Bahamian limitation ruling, and the Public Accounts Committee’s National Investment Fund questions — with no brand-new hard updates beyond stories already reported earlier today. Nationwide calendar: Exuma’s Business Outlook tomorrow, and White Cane Safety Day tomorrow as well.

Weather and tropical outlook

New Providence on Wednesday: mostly cloudy and warm, a high near 88°F, a low around 77°F, east-northeast winds around 9 mph, and about a 20 percent chance of a passing shower. Thursday: a high near 88°F, a low around 77°F, winds turning more easterly around 10 to 11 mph, and about a 26 percent shower chance (Open-Meteo). The U.S. National Hurricane Center reports tropical cyclone formation is not expected over the next 7 days.

Our advice

Eleuthera households: document every appliance loss with photos and keep copies of BPL claim forms; if claims keep vanishing, ask URCA to look into it. Abaco residents near Treasure Cay: watch for those community meetings and show up with questions before anything breaks ground. Fishermen: if diesel and lost VAT recoveries are eating your trips, keep pressing the Association and your MP with real numbers from your logbooks. And tomorrow, leave extra space for white-cane users on the road and at storefronts.