By KEESHA BETHELL, Guardian Business Reporter

keesha@nasguard.com

Nearly a year after its opening, the multi-million dollar Bimini Bay development may have happy customers, but Biminites say they are far from happy and the project is doing nothing for the economy of the seven-mile-long paradise.

Tasha Rolle, a representative of the island's Department of Labour, admitted to The Guardian that Bahamian working for Bimini Bay have had some complaints.

"Some have been resolved, while there are some outstanding," she said.

One angry Biminite was Lloyd Edgecombe, a member of the island's council and a Bimini resident for more than fifty years.

According to Edgecombe, the benefits of Bimini Bay to the economy of Bimini fell far from the initial promises and claims made to the islanders.

"These people don't care about Bahamian and they don't care about Biminites," he said.

Sitting on the northern tip of Northern Bimini, Bimini Bay is a luxury resort offering lavish accommodations. Upon completion, it is expected to offer visitors everything they need on-site, including a casino, golf course, restaurants and a variety of stores.

Bimini establishments are clustered toward the southern end of the island. While many locals fish for a living, there are many depending on profits from small businesses.

Because of the resorts location and all it has to offer, Edgecombe added, "Bimini is catching hell economically, Bimini Bay is the only party reaping the rewards."

In fact, he said there has been no increase in tourism, at least not for downtown Bimini.

"The tourists who once contributed to local business people, have deserted downtown because they stay uptown at Bimini Bay," he said.

"Nothing has trickled down to the local people."

Edgecombe accused the resort of falling short of its Heads of Agreement, which

calls for Biminites to be "top priority."

"There are hardly any Biminites working up there," he said.

In a previous article in the Guardian, Bimini Bay's Vice President Shawn Grimberg made the following statement: "For me, the happiest day will be for a Biminite to jump the ranks and reach the position of general manager."

But according to Edgecombe, Biminites are not being employed at top levels; instead, they are offered minimal jobs as security guards.

"They are employing a lot of skilled Spanish people because they are willing to work for minimum wage," he said.

Edgecombe said the resort uses a "loop hole strategy" to bring in foreign workers. "They offer the Bahamian minimum wage, Bahamian won't work for minimum wage, he explained. "Then they (Bimini Bay) tell the Minister of Labour and Immigration that they can't find Bahamian to work. The Ministry then allows them to bring in foreigners."

In response to the concerns of Biminites, Bimini Bay's Vice President Shawn Grimberg said that he has helped the island of Bimini tremendously.

"I have employed 150 of Bimini's 1,500 population," he said. "That's 10 per cent."

Grimberg maintained that Biminites are his number one priority.

He explained that his resort employees are approximately 90 per cent Bahamian.

"I hire Bahamian all the time so I am not sure about what that economic hell might be," he said.

He added that he is fully committed to hiring Bahamian.

As for Edgecombe, he is committed to persuading the newly elected Free National Movement (FNM) government to make things right in Bimini so that everyone benefits from the project.

"Right now with the way things are, Bimini Bay is not good for Bimini," he said. "Until we (Biminites) are happy with what's going on up there, we will always be unhappy."