St. Maarten Private Eye

This island is so full and congested with people, cars, traffic, condos, potholes, why would anyone in their right mind recommend to someone to buy at Barbaron? This was a beautiful green area before Roberto Carchidi put his hands on it. Has anyone seen how they have cut into the hill and changed the natural landscape?
Has anyone seen that mangroves were cut recently? Residents on SXM are quite fed up with more developments like Barbaron, people like Carchidi that are smooth talkers. There was some talk about a botanical garden. Again nonsense. He destroys one of SXM prime green beautiful spots and thinks he can satisfy the public telling them he will build a botanocal garden for his condo owners and how does that help the local SXMners? I think it was a major mistake for Rudy Nuess to have done bussiness with this man. If Nuess had built upscale villas on the natural hillside, with ample greenery in between it would have been prime investment property.
All these Americans are doing now is flipping real estate, one big speculators market, not one of them have SXM at heart like the original investors that came years ago.
One of the biggest mistakes that SXM government made was to mass market SXM tourism, we have chased away the original American tourism that we previously had, people that came every year, people that kept in touch with the locals, or their favorite taxi driver, people that knew staff at the hotels by their name, people that came back every year and brought small gifts for local children.
I have spoken to many of the people that use to stay at Mullet Bay and private homes in the past, they hate going to Philipsburg, traffic and no parking, they hate going to Marigot for the same reason with the unsafe issue added in, they are afraid to drive around the island in a rental car as they will be robbed, hijacked. Many do still enjoy Orient Beach although it looks like crowded St.Tropez.
So another Barbaron, Indigo, and any new developments is not going down too well with residents and long time visitors, does Government stop and ask themselves what they are doing? do they have a plan for the island or for their own pockets only? they are solely responsible for the state of the island, they hand out permits and make deals with developers in exchange for permits.
They can also easily say, wait... this island has developed too fast and not in accordance with attracting upscale tourism, why don't we stop for a while and fix the infrastructure. Many shanty looking areas on SXM need to be demolished and rebuilt, Cole Bay and Simpson Bay need a major upgrading, the area resembles a shanty area no provisions made for parking, green area, Simpson bay lagoon views, cyclists, recreation areas or spaces. Previosly one of the most beautiful areas of SXM with blue lagoon views has turned into a over built urban area with no physical planning and zoning.
This government is not looking to turn things around, they will continue to allow people like Carchidi and others to come build and build and destroy the last piece of SXM and leave the mess up to someone in the future to fix.
By that time Carchidi and his partners in building crimes would be back in Italy enjoying their money. And the SXM people? so far the only green area left is the Emilio Wilson park given to the people by a genuine SXMner and one can easily see that every weekend it is booked with parties and fundraisers. During the week it is mini golfing and school visits, don't we need at this time more green and recreation spaces for our peace of mind?

Well said, I am advising you to read this

National Geographic Traveler

It's surprising yet not too much the opinions people have of sxm and comparing to other islands, the rate SXM was given.

well there you have it, Sxm scores exremely low and national geographic writes that the dutch side is a mess.
You listening Theo? nah, what the heck you care right? more wheeling and dealing for you with the cruise ships and their financial guys. More head tax, more money you will say to fix front street and back street. but with all the money these cruise brings to you personally and to the island via head tax can never repay what they destroy.

Has anyone noticed the huge project that has just begun on your way to Point Pirouette? Supposedly this is a Spadaro undertaking and will compare with Cliff or Aquamarine in size. Personally I have not seen it, but it supposedly comes way out to the cliffs near the Cargo Buildings.
If this is indeed a Spadaro project, which of course, I am not certain of, but IF it was, how is it possible when he was complaining about the occupancy at the hotels last season?
Why has yet another huge project like this been approved?
Theo, please please, take a look at your island, our island. Something has to be done NOW to stop these senseless monstrocities from being built.

SAM, you are pleading with the wrong person, Theo does not care one iota.
Spadaro is his financial backer, you know campaign funds and maybe even more on the side.
This project sounds like Aqua Blue .... some type of replica of Aqua Marina, I am telling you this construction boom hopefully will explode soon and I hope it will be in the faces of the politicians.
This site affords everyone that is fed up with the current situation to voice their opinions, lets hope Governor Goedgedrag reads and listens, the Dutch Queen and or her representation in Philipsburg.
In order to get our house in order I fear that we will need the Dutch as I don't see any local politicians listening nor reacting to the voices of the people.
The local politicians had the oppertunity to vote for the campaign funds reform /code of ethics that was presented by the Lt. Governor, if I remember correctly only PPA said they were in the game, nothing out of the mouths of the National Alliance and of course the DP will not stop the party.
Who you kidding? the DP politicians have Mr. 10% Maasdam that brokers every large development deal upfront, you know.... like the bridge/road through the lagoon?
Some think it will alleviate traffic, I say it will take you to Port De Plaisance and you will sit in the traffic there again.
Meanwhile, all the heavy trucks using the bridge will be responsible for polluting the lagoon directly contributing to marine debris on a larger scale.
Instead of our elected politicians listening to the various studies advising them what to do to alleviate traffic and to to the Daily Herald saying it is about time that building permits should be stopped and to the local environmental groups who are calling for a moratorium on all large projects, the continue on their own self interest campaign.
Theo will not be helping you as he gets his cut out of large developments, Maria will not help you because she has construction material to sell at her SBS, Roy is always looking to beat Theo at his own game and make himself rich as well,....a house here, a gas station there, a fugly building 5 stories high next to Tropicana casino... Lou Lou is just Lou Lou and stupid is as stupid does and he needs to make money via work permits, and well Leroy? he needs to sell condos, villas including boat slips and marinas to all the rich folks that are using our real estate as a speculations paradise.
And a few of the names above have a cement company together, so cement sales have to continue.
Maybe now you see where their interest lies? not with you and me and the rest of the sxm populace but with lining their own pockets at the expense of the SXM people quality of life.
And the people that back them up? they are just so pathetic thinking they are in the right crowd, like certain media personalities that will always come to their defence... persons like Eddie Williams who is satisfied with any left over chicken bone that Theo or Lou Lou will throw his way or just pay his drink bills at Chippe Cafe.

It's just a matter of time!!

Rules for building unsuccessful condo projects:

1. Build them on beaches where they can be blasted by hurricanes. (Coral Beach Club, Shore Pointe.)

2. Build them in environmentally fragile areas where you can get lots of adverse publicity. (Westin - Coral Beach Club, Barbaron, Aquarius, Mullet Bay [?], Shore Pointe, etc.)

3. Build them without adequate highway infrastructure in a faltering economy when lots of other builders are doing exactly the same thing.

Does this all sound familiar?