FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 10, 2026
Contact: David Silverman, President, Save Coral Bay, Inc., dlsilverman@yahoo.com
Virgin Islands Groups Sue U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Over Coral Bay Mega-Yacht Marina Approvals
CORAL BAY, ST. JOHN, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS — August 7, 2026 — Save Coral Bay, the Coral Bay Community Council, and Coral Bay resident David Silverman today filed suit in the District Court of the Virgin Islands against the United States Army Corps of Engineers challenging the federal approvals the Corps issued in April and May of this year for a proposed mega-yacht marina in Coral Bay, St John. The permit applicant is “The Summers End Group LLC.”
The approvals at issue are a Section 10 permit under the Rivers and Harbors Act authorizing construction of the marina, issued April 23, 2026; Nationwide Permit 27, issued March 31, 2026, covering the proposed construction of “mangrove islands” as mitigation components; and Nationwide Permits 1 and 18, issued April 8, 2026, covering measures to place sandbags to protect a historic shipwreck.
The Complaint brings claims under the Administrative Procedure Act, the Rivers and Harbors Act, the Clean Water Act, the Coastal Zone Management Act, the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. Plaintiffs ask the court to declare that the Army Corps acted arbitrarily, capriciously and unlawfully, to vacate the permits and the Corps’ supporting Memoranda for the Record, and to enjoin any activity in furtherance of the project unless and until the Corps issues new and lawful approvals.
David Silverman, President of Save Coral Bay, said “For over a decade the people of Coral Bay have identified major substantive and procedural deficiencies in the plans and applications submitted by the Summers End Group and the Corps’ review of the material submitted. We look forward to having an opportunity in federal court to challenge the actions of the Corps in issuing the permits for the project.”
The full complaint is available HERE.
About Save Coral Bay, Inc. Save Coral Bay is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation in Coral Bay, St. John. Its mission is to protect Coral Bay from environmentally damaging large-scale commercial projects and to promote projects that will improve conditions in Coral Bay Harbor and encourage low-impact development that continues to grow the economy while protecting the territory’s cultural and natural resources for future generations.
About the Coral Bay Community Council. The Coral Bay Community Council is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation in Coral Bay, St. John. Its mission is to serve the community by protecting the environment, improving infrastructure, supporting education, encouraging social progress, and planning for appropriate low-impact development.
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