A day after senators overwhelmingly rejected a bill to revive expired Coastal Zone Management permits for the Summer’s End Marina project in Coral Bay, St. John, the political fallout continued to unfold — this time, as a public war of words between Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. and Senate President Milton Potter.
The governor, in a Friday morning press release, sharply criticized the Legislature’s 9-3 vote to halt the permit revival, calling it “another example of how the Virgin Islands Legislature continues to reject capital investment and economic opportunity” in the territory. The bill, submitted by Bryan and sponsored by Potter on the governor’s behalf, sought to ratify Bryan’s approval of modifications to two lapsed CZM permits tied to the $130 million marina development — a move met with resistance from lawmakers who said the permits had long expired and could not legally be extended.
“Each day that passes brings new bills, higher legal fees, and escalating construction costs,” Bryan wrote. “None of this affects those who collect two government checks come rain or shine. But for investors, small businesses, and Virgin Islanders who are waiting on jobs and opportunity, these setbacks cause irreparable harm.”
Bryan also took direct aim at Potter, referencing his remarks on the Senate floor about other recent developments, in particular the new Hampton by Hilton hotel at the Havesight dock. “Let us be clear: If that hotel had gone through a legislative process, we would still be on step one today,” the governor said. “We were able to move forward because the executive branch had the authority and the will to act decisively. The same should have happened here.”.
Potter, in a detailed response issued Friday evening, said the governor’s comments mischaracterized both the intent and legal foundation of the Legislature’s vote. “The Legislature has not killed jobs nor stifled opportunity,” Potter wrote. “It has upheld the law and the integrity of our institutions.”
At issue is whether expired permits — specifically, those for the Summer’s End Group’s St. John Marina project — can be revived by the Legislature. According to testimony from CZM Commission Chair May Adams Cornwall and the Legislature’s legal counsel, they cannot.
“You cannot modify something that no longer exists,” Potter reiterated in Friday’s release. “The Governor has no authority to revive a permit that is dead, any more than the Legislature could amend a repealed law.”
Potter also rejected the governor’s suggestion that legislators were acting politically or irresponsibly, pointing instead to the procedural violations flagged by members of the St. John Coastal Zone Management Committee and CZM board during the Senate hearing, along with emotional testimony from the landowners’ daughter, Jacquelyn Clendinen, questioning whether their family land had been improperly leased to the developers.
“We heard powerful, legitimate concerns from Virgin Islanders about transparency, process, and fairness,” Potter said. “And we voted accordingly.”
The confrontation highlights a deepening rift between the two branches of government. While Bryan has framed the project as a long-awaited economic win for St. John — offering jobs, a Customs and Border Protection office, a boardwalk, and expanded marine enforcement presence — opponents continue to raise red flags about the permitting process, environmental impacts, and the legitimacy of land agreements tied to the development.
Though the legislation was defeated, tensions over the project persist. Bryan ended his Friday release by saying he hopes the next Legislature “takes a more pragmatic and economically focused approach.” Potter countered by urging the administration to resubmit the proposal only “after the appropriate agency has reissued a valid permit.”
“The people of the Virgin Islands deserve economic opportunity,” Potter said. “They also deserve good governance — and those two goals should never be mutually exclusive.”
