By Bob Coughlin, Founder — Turtlegrass Resort & Island Club

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After more than two years of work to build a small, low-impact eco-resort in the heart of the Exumas, Turtlegrass Resort & Island Club has been forced to indefinitely pause construction. On May 2nd, 2026, we were left with no choice but to lay off our 53-person Bahamian crew.

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A government-issued cease-and-desist - delivered after we raised legitimate concerns about a much larger project next door by Miami-based Yntegra - has brought our project to a halt.

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What Turtlegrass is and what it was meant to be

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Environmental sustainability and conservation is something close to my heart - and a key focus of my wife Jeanne and I’s giving through the Coughlin Foundation. In that capacity, we have supported a range of environmentally-focused non-profit organisations that are working hard to inspire a new generation of environmentally-minded leaders in The Bahamas. 

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Turtlegrass Resort and Island Club was part of that bigger motivation for us - to create and encourage spaces, places, experiences and people that value, protect and respect the Bahamian environment and the culture of the Exumas. 

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Within this, our vision for this project has always been simple: a low-density, environmentally responsible development designed around the natural wonder of the North Bay of Sampson Cay - the same North Bay that Exumians and visitors have fished and enjoyed for generations. Our guests would experience this place not by transforming it, but by spending time immersed in its natural wonder. 

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Experiential education was set to be at the heart of Turtlegrass. It would be a place where people, young and old, could learn about the marine environment surrounding the island, how to live sustainably and in harmony with nature, and it would be a testing ground for ideas on how we can advance environmental conservation in The Bahamas for generations to come. 

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Watch to learn more about our vision for Turtlegrass Resort

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A proposal at odds with everything we stand for

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We were incredibly excited when Turtlegrass Resort & Island Club was approved by the Government of The Bahamas in 2023. To date, we have invested millions into the initial stages of the work to bring Turtlegrass to life. 

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But when we realised that Yntegra's current plan for its Rosewood Exuma resort dramatically encroaches on the environment at the core of what Turtlegrass is all about, we told the government we were putting the resort construction on hold until the situation could be resolved. Yntegra’s current plan includes turning the North Bay into an industrial shipping lane. They would dredge the bay to install an industrial supply dock, a 200 foot-plus seawall, and allow access to it by fuel tankers and cargo ships and barges. This would all happen in shallow, ecologically sensitive water right off Turtlegrass’ recreational beaches  - threatening the very foundation of Turtlegrass's guest experience and eco-friendly philosophy.

Check out this video about Yntegra’s plans for the North Bay

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Turtlegrass’s Heads of Agreement with The Bahamian government was finalised a full year before Miami-based developer Yntegra Group received its Heads of Agreement for the much larger Rosewood Exuma project on neighbouring East Sampson Cay. 

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Since 2024, Turtlegrass has put forward a reasonable, constructive alternative to the most controversial aspect of Yntegra’s plan: relocate the industrial dock and back-of-house facilities to the southern side of East Sampson Cay, where Yntegra already plans two super-yacht marinas with deep water access and no additional dredging required. This would allow Yntegra's project to proceed while preserving the North Bay for the people, marine life, and businesses that depend on it - including Over Yonder Cay, a neighbouring luxury resort to the north.

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Yntegra has so far refused this proposal, with reasons that do not make sense. The Bahamian government has declined to ask them to reconsider, despite expressing a desire to see both projects “co-exist”. 

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A petition gaining ground and environmental groups coming together in a historic call to action

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In the meantime, the public has also let their voice be heard, both via a petition calling on the Government of The Bahamas to halt the Yntegra dredging in the North Bay, and via the Save Exuma Alliance, a group of concerned Exumians, Bahamians and international supporters who want to see development that respects the Exumas culture and preserves what makes The Bahamas extraordinary.  

The petition has now gathered thousands of signatures. If you also believe that this fragile marine environment deserves better, add your voice:

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Sign the petition to halt environmental clearance for Yntegra's Sampson Cay project →

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An escalation that led us to where we are today 

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In February 2026, a cease-and-desist was issued against Turtlegrass Resort by the Department of Physical Planning after we raised legal concerns about Yntegra's government approvals. This was despite the fact that we held site plans and permits approved by the Ministry of Works and the Black Point District Council for every piece of construction underway.

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We requested a customary exemption from the Site Plan Approval process - a routine request for the kind of small-scale work being done. For three months, we negotiated in good faith and kept our entire crew on payroll while we waited.

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On May 1st, 2026, the Department of Physical Planning abruptly refused the exemption.We were ultimately forced to notify 53 Bahamian workers that they would not be returning to their jobs.

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Two very different standards

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While Turtlegrass faced a cease-and-desist for permitted, small-scale construction, Yntegra has received a remarkable series of government accommodations:

• A Certificate of Environmental Clearance issued without public consultation, then secretly renewed after it had already expired
• Senior London legal counsel hired at public expense to defend their Certificate of Environmental Clearance against legitimate legal concerns
• Site-clearing works allowed to proceed without valid approvals, even while an active legal appeal carrying a mandatory stay was in place
• Significant grants of Crown land for development by a foreign investor, despite questions raised over Yntegra’s track record, and the Government granting the developer allowance for more than 130 foreign work permits for the project
• Secretly granting Yntegra permission to dredge in the ecologically sensitive North Bay - while Turtlegrass is explicitly prohibited from dredging there, despite never having requested it.

The contrast speaks for itself.

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What needs to happen next: Move the dock and back-of-house facilities

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The way forward is not complicated. It is the same proposal Turtlegrass has put on the table since 2024: Yntegra needs to move its industrial dock and back-of-house facilities to the southern side of Sampson Cay.

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This is not opposition for opposition's sake. It is a change that would protect the North Bay, allow both projects to co-exist, and get 53 Bahamian workers back to their livelihoods.

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Turtlegrass remains committed to a lawful, constructive resolution. We ask the Government of The Bahamas to engage constructively with this proposal, and with the facts. And we ask Yntegra to accept this proposal to relocate the industrial dock and back of house facilities, which is by any reasonable measure, a fair and workable path forward.

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The pristine North Bay belongs to The Bahamas. It deserves to be defended. 

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