Honorable Cordel Hyde

On Wednesday, January 15th, volunteers and staff from the Caye Caulker Village Council (CCVC) were seen removing bollards (barriers) from the beach area that had been placed there by a local resident. The CCVC stated they were addressing the closure of two public beach areas and a street, emphasizing that access to these areas is a right for all Belizeans and visitors alike. One of the residents who had installed the bollards, local attorney Wendy Auxillou, explained that the barriers were not intended to block access to the beach but rather to prevent golf carts from passing in front of her mother’s beachfront property.

The Government of Belize (GOB) has recently acquired ownership of Angelfish Caye, also known as Will Bauer Flats, located off the coast of Placencia in South Belize. This acquisition is part of an effort to promote marine environmental conservation and support the expansion of the Belize Barrier Reef as a national park and protected area, all to ensure sustainable use. The previous owners of Angel Fish LLC will be compensated for the acquisition and have been asked to submit their compensation claims to the Chief Land Acquisition Officer at the Ministry of Natural Resources, Petroleum, and Mining in Belmopan, Belize.

On Friday morning, July 5th, Hurricane Beryl landed as a Category 2 storm over the Mexican Caribbean coast, affecting coastal communities like Tulum and Playa del Carmen. The storm did not affect Belize, where a Tropical Storm Warning was issued for the northern portion of the country, including the Cayes. On Friday morning, the Government of Belize gave the all-clear, and discussions have started to see how they can help our counterparts in the Caribbean, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada, who were devastated by the weather system.

On Friday, August 6th, the mobile lands clinic in San Pedro Town hosted by the Department of Lands and Surveys concluded. Held at the Angel Nuñez Auditorium, the two-day event headed by Minister of Natural Resources Hon. Cordel Hyde and Area Representative Hon. Andre Perez assisted hundreds of residents, who had tried for years to sort out their land issues with no success. The initiative managed to purge a lot of irregularities. Although many walked out with a sense of accomplishment after clarifying their doubts, permission to purchase their property, and validation of their land titles, the job is far from over. Another mobile clinic will be needed in the future to continue addressing the remaining land problems in San Pedro. Still, before that takes place, the upcoming clinic will head to the sister island of Caye Caulker.

A strong and encouraging message was delivered at a rally organized by the People United Party (PUP) on Sunday, November 6th on Ambergris Caye.

Honorable John Briceño, Area Representative of Orange Walk Central, has regained leadership over the People’s United Party at the 2016 National Convention in Belmopan.

After due consideration the planning and coordination committee has decided to cease all efforts to organize a debate between the three aspirants for the post of Party Leader, PUP.

Plans are underway for a debate between the three PUP leadership candidates, Honorable Cordel Hyde, Honorable Francis Fonseca and Honorable Johnny Briceño.