Many Virgin Islanders hoped that with the election of the Bryan-Roach team on the promise to “Change Course Now” that things would actually improve, and the hardships following hurricanes Irma and Maria would be rapidly addressed.  Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way for many …

Our campaign to Save Coral Bay was based on adherence to laws, environmental regulations, and transparency.  We had worked for five years to assure that the Summers End Group would follow the same procedures as any other developer wishing to utilize the natural resources held in trust for the people of the Virgin Islands.

In retrospect, we were fooled.  Governor Bryan seemed, from the outset, to be focused solely on promoting big money projects, and didn’t seem particularly concerned with process transparency or regulations which he felt were overly burdensome on developers.   All of this bode very well for the prospects of the two marina developers from Lousiana – Rick Barksdale and Chaliese Summers of the Summers End Group.  Their promises (unfulfilled) of big money, big job creation, and big publicity were music to the ears of Albert Bryan and he would do everything in his power – as well as multiple things outside his power – to promote the Summers End Marina project in Coral Bay.

The next few chapters begin the story of how newly elected Governor Albert Bryan Jr. promoted, protected and leveraged his office in efforts to bring the Summers End mega yacht marina into Coral Bay.  These chapters will also document the efforts of Save Coral Bay to oppose those efforts, leading to a showdown in the Virgin Islands Legislature six years later, in August 2025.