Developer’s power raises concerns
Barefoot Beach, Grand Cayman
(CNS) With no fair trade legislation, the acquisition by a single investor in Cayman of so much land and business influence should be a concern for the government and the wider business community, an MLA has said. The purchase of Barefoot Beach on the north-eastern coast of Grand Cayman by one of Dart’s web of companies has added to the corporation’s already significant existing property and business portfolio, which Ezzard Miller believes has serious implications for Cayman in relation to the wider tourism and related markets.
Expressing his concerns over one developer owning so many businesses and so much of the developable land on Grand Cayman, Miller said it throws up many questions and areas of concern.
“The Dart Group is in a position to control the local market and the future development of Cayman’s tourism product,” he told CNS. “The power and size of the conglomerate leaves little room for local entrepreneurs. With no fair trade legislation, where are the checks and balances to come from, especially when the group appears to be able to get planning permission for things that most other applicants are not permitted to do?” he asked rhetorically.
Miller pointed to the recent controversies over the decision by the Central Planning Authority to allow the Kimpton Hotel to exceed legal height restrictions in the planning law because Dart’s construction firm was permitted to elevate the ground level to create 12 storeys, with two of the stories being under the elevated ground level.
The exact extent of the investor’s property and business ownership in Cayman is not easily measured because the corporation has a web of companies it uses to buy land and businesses that cannot necessarily be transparently linked to the group. The Dart Corporation has many subsidiaries, some of which are more well known than others.
The 20-acre beachfront site in East End, which was once earmarked for development as a Mandarin Oriental Hotel, was bought by Sparrowhawk Ltd, one of the group’s many companies that has previously emerged in the public domain. The company was cited during the ForCayman Investment Alliance negotiations because some of the land it held was on the table at one time as a possible swap in the renegotiation and agreement amendments that never came to fruition.
The North Side member told CNS that two years ago efforts to track the Dart conglomerate’s business and property ownership here in Cayman revealed that the investor may had acquired more than one third of Grand Cayman. Since then, he said, the web of companies has grown and acquired more commercial entities as well as land, leaving the country guessing at the true extent of the group’s acquisition.
Miller said he was not opposed to the freedom of anyone to buy land or relevant sustainable development. His concern, he said, was over ownership that is so highly concentrated in the hands of any single corporation, regardless of who it is, because this presents “serious implications for the wider community”.
He said the growth of the conglomerate had to be countered with fair trade legislation to protect others competing against its financial power and potential control of numerous different areas of the local market, from the importation of liquor to the rental rate of retail premises.
Meanwhile, government and Dart continue talks over the renegotiation of the NRA agreement. Despite relatively recent announcements that the parties were very close to a deal, there have been no further announcements. CNS attempted to contact the premier this week for an update on the current status of the talks but we have been unable to reach him.
Category: development, Local News
Lets not pretend for a second that anyone in East End or North side give a Sh*t about Barefoot. You roll up, party, drink and leave your trash everywhere. Also, squatters living in shacks just through the gates. Local youth wannabe trying to rob people, like the one I knocked out last year. It’s a beautiful beach oasis with great snorkeling. Too bad you actually don’t care about your little treasure.
The horse has long left the stable on this one. Dart appears to be well ahead of the situation with his multiple company strategy. For example, if he creates 100 companies, which each purchase a parcel of land, how will CIG ever be able to prove they all link back to Dart? Won’t the company records be private? The future looks very interesting for the next generation.
It’ll all be underwater in 50 years anyway…
Has a public inquiry ever been done into the ‘award’ of our land and hotel taxes to the Dart group even up to this date?
I dont recall voting for the NRA or infact I dont even know who that secret body is comprised of and what gives them the authority to make deals behind closed doors that harm taxpayers by giving away our land, customs duties and hotel taxes?
Ezzard you and Arden are the only two politicians that really fight for the rights of the people – THANK YOU BOTH!…
I LOVE DART AND WHAT HE IS DOING WITH THE ISLAND!
In dart’s own words he loves us too. Who wouldn’t love a country where they can use their tax evasion money as a carrot to take full advantage of their specialty of exploiting taxation and breaking laws when they can’t do it anywhere else in this world? I suppose when the whole of Cayman is forced to say “Good morning Mr Dart, how high would you like me to jump today sir” we will finally understand. We’re getting there. Rapidly. And totally blindly.
tax evasion money? he gave up his US citizenship, his company pays taxes in the US where is sells products, please tell me where the evasion is.
Ask yourself why he gave up his us citizenship.
Avoidance, not evasion, and perfectly legal under U.S. and Cayman Law.
I think was would be the correct word. The poster is speaking of history rather than current affairs. There’s more than enough on public record to substantiate this.
It’s called tax planning. Tax evasion would be illegal. If you don’t believe me Mr Webb could tell you a ting or two..
So if it is not an issue that one developer owns such a large percentage of real estate in one country, why do people in the US, Australia and other places get so upset that so many Asians (mainly Chinese) buying up large tracts of land or prime property, often at a price way above the market value?
Is it perhaps that it drives up real estate prices to a point where it is completely out of reach for most folks? Is it because they are afraid of too much influence to be had by one investor or another nation?
Come one guys – this really is common sense, you don’t want to hand over the majority of your country to someone else…….
No country should allow one person/company to own real estate beyond a certain percentage. It is just common sense. You have restrictions in place which limits the amount of work permits that can be issued to a certain nationality and the same logic should apply to real estate holdings.
Yes, Dart develops things nicely and for now maintains them ok, but what happens once he is gone (and by that I mean six foot under)? Who is going to be there to ensure that his “vision” will be carried on and the contracts entered into are maintained? Government will not be in a position to maintain any of his facilities, parks, roads etc. Is Government going to take the Dart companies/foundations to court to ensure the contracts which span over 10/20/30/40 years are honored?
It is all a bubble which eventually will burst.
Dart Inc is a Company not a person, if he passes away business will go on. Do you really think he sign all the checks and contract personally. He has managers CEO and whole department that run the company while he relaxes. If he passes away it will still be private property and not the responsibility of the CIG.
Yes it is a company, but it will be owned by his heirs/successors…….what they are going to do with that company will remain to be seen. The one who built an empire has ALWAYS more vested interested in what he built……..the ones who come after typically don’t take the same interest …….
So because a person may die one day they shouldn’t be allowed to start and grow a large business
?
Those posting here who demonize Ezzard and canonize Dart would do well to remember (or Google it if you have no idea what I am talking about) Sandford and Antigua.
He was the best thing since sliced bread for Antigua, according to the puppets and politicians who were on his payroll ( http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/sir-allen-stanford/4736739/How-Sir-Allen-Stanford-bowled-Antigua-over.html ). The newspapers could not say enough about what he was building in Antigua. Not only did they give him citizenship status, they got the Queen of England to dub him knighthood.
He too owned 2/3 of the real estate in Antigua, the local newspaper, two banks, the national airline, all the pretty buildings, most of the businesses, the cricket team, the cricket Twenty20 tournament and anyone who asked questions were “put in their place”, including the elected Government that he had not paid for……….Sounds familiar?
How did he reward them for knighthood……….he was almost never seen on the Island of Antigua……….he lived offshore on his $50 million yacht………. never mixed with the locals unless there was a TV camera……….then he built his home on St Crox and moved his most lucrative ligit business to St Crox………..until he was “moved permanently” to his “home” in a Texas penitentiary.
He had done it all by stealing $20 billion from his insurance and banking customers……….everything he had in Antigua has now died on the vine and the country is back in poverty…………..yet even today, many Antiguans, who were in his pocket, will cuss you out if you point out that Sanford was a common thief.
Of course, I know it is a fact, Dart made his money legally from selling Styrofoam food containers ……………There is NO WAY what happened in Antigua with Sanford can ever happen in Cayman with Dart……………After all, the US NEVER EVER arrested any bigwig for not paying taxes…….especially if they were a legit citizen of the Cayman Islands ………He will never leave us!
You cannot spell Stanford’sname, and the rest of your commentary is riddled with inaccuracies ranging from the amount he stole ti the amount of land he controlled. And as for the sarcastic final paragrph, perhaps you can explain to the rest of us how the US would have any basis for arresting a non US citizen, non USS resident for not paaying US tax? You cant just make stuff up and expect to be remotely credible, no matter how much you want to believe it.
Fred the Piemaker, you must have gotten a piece of the “Stanford pie” to be such a staunch supporter of what he did in Antigua, and to know exactly how much of the land in Antigua he controlled.
I give you that I, you, nor anyone else knows just how much land he “controlled” there as, like everyone like him does, he hid ownership through numerous shell companies. Sounds familiar?
If you are going to correct me, do your research, according to the BBC, the amount of lawsuits for claims for damages, against what he stole, topped $24 billion (http://www.bbc.com/news/business-17298267 ). Look it up yourself……..idiot.
Of course, according to you………. a “T” here and a “t” there, makes everything I said a fairy tale. Tell that to the thousands of Antiguans who are still without a job.
As for your parting comment about the US never going after “a non U.S. citizen, non USS resident for not paaying US tax” (by the way, learn to spell paying before correcting someone else’s misspelling, idiot)……….I suggest you wait until the Jeff Webb case is over to see, if he did not pay the appropriate taxes on his US holdings, if he will be charged.
Better yet, go on this website for the U.S. Justice Department ( http://www.justice.gov/tax/offshore-compliance-initiative ) and see what this HSBC India Client Indicted for Tax Evasion and Failing to Report Foreign Bank found out about your assertions…………Idiot.
if you have any kind of business interest in the U.S,A. you had better have your taxes paid in full, or they will come after you…….no matter that you live, or are a citizen of a sunny Caribbean Island.
I am not saying that Dart does not have his taxes paid in full………I, nor you, have any way of knowing!
Now sir/madam, what do you say?
The headline should read, “Well-financed Investor finally acquires long-listed real estate”. How’s that Mandarin Oriental coming along, Ezzard? Right, that’s what we thought.
Ezzard, as a Northsider, I would like you to have the bar east of the gas station do something about the crew that hangs outacross the street. They have two recliner chairs on the side of the road, surrounded by a thousand beer cans.
How about you get the bar owner to clean that eyesore up?!! Then focus on Dart.
Doesn’t another prominent elected MLA operate a business there too? They must be quite happy with the situation as it has developed.
What this speaks to is the issue of package retailers selling cold beer to people who sit outside and drink. Informal bars like this are all over Cayman. It says something about the liquor licensing regime.
Anon 8:35 and 1701-4-345. With all the information you two yahoos have about the laws that are “being broken” in this instance, should both of you not be calling, and calling out, COP Baines, instead of Ezzard? How is it his fault if the police do not do their jobs.
The problem appears to be that too many “law abiding” citizens like yourselves, are happy to turn a blind eye to laws being broken in the Cayman Islands.
Next time you are driving by, pull over, get on your cell phone and call the police to report whatever criminal activity you see……………If you see something……say something.
I am sure that Ezzard, with his big mouth, has brought it to the attention of the CoP before, I have heard him bring up community policing for North Side and East End many times in the LA……….now you back him up…….or shut up!
Sorry you are hiding behind Anonymous so I can’t address you directly.
I have spoken to the owners of the Barn and the retail liquor store – legally not their problem. The property across the street is owned by someone else.
I have personally on two occasions assisted groups to clean up the garbage.
The police have raided the site on several occasions with drug dogs and some persons have been taken to court and convicted.
I have found jobs for several of them during the last three years.
I have gotten the land owner to clear the property in the past,
Here is what is planned by the police in the next few weeks.
The section of the road will be lined with large boulders and painted with double yellow lines to prevent parking.
The department of DEH should remove the old chairs and clean up the area again.
Hopefully some of the cans and bottles will be tested for DNA and those persons convicted of littering and fined $500 or go to jail.
What have you done or what are you willing to do, nothing as usual as you can’t even sign your name to your post.
Signed D, Ezzard Miller
As the elected district representative this is YOUR JOB and you are well paid in return from our fees and taxes. So just get on with it and stop grumbling about criticism. I never understand why those who choose to enter political office are so thin skinned.
For goodness sake the gentleman was simply and properly responding to a public concern. What on earth is WRONG with you lunatics?
Perhaps when Northside has exposed these criminal litterers, they would be so kind as to share their miracle DNA technology and DNA registry with the RCIPS and Cayman Islands Judiciary so that we can apprehend and convict the murderers, violent offenders, and multitude of serious offense cold cases.
Hilarious, I don’t know of any law enforcement or environmental organisation that would test garbage for DNA without a serious crime having been committed first.
Seriously, are you saying that the police will take DNA samples from roadside litter in order to track down a few unsociable litter louts?
You’ve been watching too much CSI on TV, or you are clearly delusional and warranting of the derision you are attracting.
For heavens sake shut up man and stop embarrassing yourself.
And what of the young yobs with more money than sense who like burning rubber outside the bar so frequently? I used to live minutes away and many a night started out sleepless because of them doing their wheel spins and racing up and down FSR with all their deafening screeching noises and loud engines and exhausts – all the burnt rubber stuck to the road proves my point. And I bet half of them don’t carry valid licence or insurance.
“Hopefully some of the cans and bottles will be tested for DNA and those persons convicted of littering and fined $500 or go to jail.”
Are you for real? You would really like the police to waste yet more resources at our expense on this pointless exercise? Testing for DNA for littering?
Really?
Personally I find it morally indefensible that a man who represents only a couple of hundred people on a minor rock in the Caribbean is paid a basic salary equivalent to the UK Prime Minister, (tax free) whilst many of his constituents live in abject poverty.
But since you have undertaken to take part in a public debate, here’s a few points for you.
Why don’t you get in contact with the owners of the land opposite the Barn and insist they secure the land and tidy up the garbage on it. Or why don’t the DEH clear it and send them the bill on behalf of the public purse?
Is it because they’re Caymanian perhaps, and a voter?
And what the hell does ‘gotten’ mean, the word is ‘got’?
Don’t get all high and mighty about clearing up other peoples crap on only two occasions, we do it every day on the beaches of NS. And much of it isn’t washed in, it’s left by Caymanian visitors at the weekends.
So the police have graced NS with their presence, well we must all have been away that year because no one I know has ever seen a police presence at the Barn, unless they’re picking food up from Kurt’s. Perhaps stopping the illegal speeding and donuts outside would be a start. And if you want proof, just look at the condition of the road surface outside.
But perhaps they’ll be up here more often when your boulders stop the speeding idiots, literally dead in their tracks.
I am speechless that a politician thinks it an appropriate use of his time to find perfectly able constituents direct employment. Tell them to get of their last ass and find a job for themselves.
And finally.
Are you mad? Who on earth would sanction public money being spent on DNA testing to track down unsociable litter louts. You do realise the cost of testing and the fact that you have to have a data base of samples, (registry) to compare the sample with?
The problem being, that you don’t have an island wide registry and if you did, the familial links, (especially on NS) would confuse the hell out of it.
Excellent job Mr Miller. Keep up the good work and please do ignore the idiotic simpletons here.
It’s interesting to see the difference in here with genuine comments versus paid PR campaign managers trying to deflect the anti Dart comments.
There were other developers that came to this island, bought homes, bought land, set up companies BUT NOW…where are they? All gone. Why? Well ask the UDP administration about the main land owners that actually built close to Camana Bay that also had interest in building the Port—-
Those that are at the top and work for Dart Realty know exactly who those competitors were…they made sure to block all avenues through the powers of the government for them not to remain and invest on island. Dart have very smart persons leading their trail…This is all by design.
Whilst Ezzard is sometimes out of his league with many of his antics- this topic here will certainly bite us in the rear bump if we don’t do something now. Cayman has benefited from Dart and their developments and employment to many local and foreign workers. For this we should be eternally grateful. BUT there has to be legislation in place to avoid what happened about 8 years ago with other developers (from the Middle East and Asian/ North America) to run away. There needs to be competition at EVERY level.
I would be more afraid of Ezzard Miller having any substantial power than Dart owning half the island. And I am dead serious.
You are obviously seriously brain dead
Wow. Just wow. What year is it?? Oh well, better late than never I guess but sheesh. Dart has ‘owned’ Cayman since before Ivan. Too late?
I have to agree with Ezzard here. When Dart opens Kempis (which primary customers are gays) in Cayman and the gays galore start coming to Cayman, wanting to do their gay pride marches, and Dart has powers over lands and roads, then what??? Are we going to start condemning Ezzard and say he was too protectionist. I think we need to have a bit of balance here. Cayman Islands market is not like the United States, just open and never ending. We are on a small rock surrounded by ocean and there is not much pie-cutting-to-share-out you can do on a small rock. There has to be some regulation on wealthy investors; especially those ones who buy up lands, put no trespassing signs and then leave the islands for God knows when.
Of course, then again, I could wrong
And yes you are.
So you think that gays are waiting out beyond the horizon on pink landing ships just waiting to press ahead with their mission to turn the world rainbow coloured do you?
You uneducated, bigoted fool. They are already here, in the Caymanian and non Caymanian population, and I don’t see any sign that this fifth column has requested any thing else but equal respect from the rock hopping dinosaurs who think damnation will follow if they even acknowledge their existence.
The biggest danger to Caymans environmental and ecological existence isn’t the ‘evil’ of human dignity, but the money grabbing mentality of those who have consistently sold out their heritage for the developers dollar.
It is basic human greed that has resulted in the destruction of the mangroves and wetlands, it is the backward minded attitude of take now, spend, then whine that it’s everyone else’s fault.
Get this straight idiot.
Caymanians sold out their rights to purchased land when they accepted the cash, pure and simple. If you don’t want foreign investors, don’t sell them the damn land.
But that’s the problem isn’t it, you just can’t help yourselves when easy money is available and you don’t have to work for it.
It is you and your kind who offered a sanctuary for tax avoiders/evaders from around the globe, and it is you and your kind who took the money they stole from their own treasuries and less fortunate citizens.
Now you will reap the whirlwind that greed exposes.
As for the chief bigot and dinosaur of NS, trust me, Ezzard will be the first to sell out if he needed the money. But taking $10,000 a month in a publicly funded salary, and god knows what in pensions and healthcare for him and his ‘foreign’ wife, he doesn’t need to dip into his portfolio of hereditary property. He has the luxury of pontificating to everyone else and you are dumb enough to be taken in by it.
Because a business allows Gay customers without discrimination doesn’t mean their primary customer is Gay. I stayed at Kimpton Hotel and it didn’t seem like the customer were Gay. I think my wife and I noticed one couple that could have possibly been Gay.
Why are you against Gays, it is a bit hypocritical while you happily run a turtle farm for food, also an abomination in the same book of the bible.
This comment proves how ignorant people are
We aught to be glad that Dart is investing here. Someone wanted to sell in order for Dart to buy. I never heard of any forced acquisitions of property by any entity other than government. And all Ezzard does is beat up his gums, puff up his chest and try to create dissent. Dart’s investments create employment. He also affords Caymanians who work for him the ability to further their education free of charge. Now tell me how many businesses Ezzard ran and how many were successful enough to remain in operation today? None that I know of. Ezzard, instead of creating dissent and disharmony with the foreigners who come and invest here, please try to promote unity and harmony. Everyone will benefit more. A born, bred and will die, CAYMANIAN.
You have to be kidding me we should be WHAT glad, we should be on our knees praying for people to stop selling to him Dart is the white pioneer and be the Caymanians and native Indians. Wait until he installs tollbooth.
could i suggest that all caymanians boycott camana bay…immediately.
WHY ?
Nah 8.55. Go ahead mon on your own. We watch ya.
Ezzard, pass a motion in the LA to deport him and all his billions to Jamaica. After all, every bad thing should be in Jamaica, and they do not have this problem yet. I would personally help you to do dat. Seen?!?!
The would be great for Jamaica, but how would that be good for Cayman ?
Look at what Dart has done and what it cost. Now look at what the Islands Government and its people have done and how much that cost. The end.
Puppet
Would you hand over control of your household and your family’s future to someone because they construct good buildings? What happens when that person decides to kick out your family members or even you? How do you or your family benefit then?
Caymanians don’t forget which politician gave Dart Caymanian status and pushed through one sided agreements that the Auditor General is now saying are illegal.
Go Dart!
Quality developer.
I think Ezzard’s reading my Facebook wall…. *suspicious face*
The only thing that could bring down Dart right now is to hand over our dependency to the USA, lol! His nationality would then fall back under their laws and he’d have to probably pay billions in back-taxes 🙂
What make’s you think that a good thing, that would be Billions that could have been invested into Cayman. I don’t get it would people rather the money he spends here go to the Internal Revenue Service and into the US Economy instead on Caymans ?
If he is hiding his money here to avoid taxes that his own country could be using to better the lives of his own people; what makes Cayman think he is tying to be philanthropic?
and why do you think he owes taxes to the US? he is no longer a US citizen
Well if it is that easy to evade, then everybody might as well leave the USA! If Billionaires can’t afford to pay taxes, I can’t imagine what the middle class are feeling!
Another sign of pure ignorance..
Who ever said that Dart was or was trying to be a philanthropist. He is business with profit making goal just like any other business, people are just mad because he is so much better at it then everyone else…Haters
Oh, and I so love how they call their managers “team leaders” and do not pay for managerial work permit fees. I have to pay exhorbitant fees for my, not big enough to get special treatment, small businesses permits. Disgusting, and Immigration should be ashamed for allowing this farce.
Da Wha Ya Get – when you refuse to have a comprehensive development plan.
Yes, Da Wha Ya Get when you don’t have a comprehensive development plan……… or a lack of comprehensive politicos.
Are you just a troll or actually an idiot. Small Caymanian businesses do not have the political / economic influence of large businesses. Even a toddler knows that.
I disagree. What you get when you are an honest business person,, supporting our young people is … shafted. What you get when you are a rich person is special treatment, fostering unfair competition.
Do you mean when I am unwilling to lie? Because no development plan I would ever have encludes deceiving our government nor stealing from her people.
Dart always does developments beautifully and the right way. The big landholder I’m concerned about is Crownworld who is buying land and selling it claiming they will be building all these great developments but I don’t see much of that happening. If they take the money and run it will be Cayman in the headlines facing investors from all over the world. Does the Govt not care about that or are they oblivious as usual? Where is the golf course and development in North Side that Crown promised investors? They likely have just as much land as Dart or more. We can see Dart’s but Crown’s???
So does anyone know who is behind Crown?
Yes .a Liverpudlian gentlemen with a conviction for assaulting a young girl and a number of interesting allegations involving arson.
Yes, and here is some good reading about the Cayman interests.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmenvaud/c332-ii/c332ii.pdf
So Kurt, how is the ice rink coming along?
If Buzzard has problem with this I am all for it.
Its gettin kinda hectic.
Now is the time for the government to nationalise all of Dart’s built property so that it really functions for the benefit of the people.
With the Compass and Cayman 27 being sold, Dart will now control the media and brainwash the general public into believing everything he does is for the public good.
Are you suggesting that the CIG should seize the privately owned property and businesses by Dart and run them as they seem fit ? I am guessing that you also feel the proceeds from this seizure should be distributed out to the people ?
Please explain why ?
It’s not legally Dart Land, the land in Cayman belongs to the Caymanian people and he is getting rich off of it while we get nothing. Way are these companies that built things on our land not required to make payment to the people who’s land they occupy
Jeez, you really haven’t learned anything.
Funny that Hazzard didn’t say what “serious implications for the wider community” this presents.
Funny how all you zombies think it does NOT present a problem. One person owning 2/3 now and soon even more. He may as well start making all the rules now. He literally already does.
So now he own’s 2/3 of the island, people sure love to exaggerate in Cayman..
Dart is just a very good businessman, has excellent talent and top notch resources at their disposal. Cayman Politician cannot intimidate them like that can the little guy. And they have more invested in Cayman’s success than anyone else including the government. I feel confident in Cayman’s future only because Dart is in the picture as I am sure plenty of other developers are.
I feel confident in Dart’s future. Not so much Cayman’s. We should not abdicate our future to Dart.
No one is talking about abdicating anything
One might say that the organisation has “tunnel vision”
I run an honest business, I pay all applicable fees in full. I hire only Caymanians. I will never be rich, but I will sleep well tonight.
You will never be rich because you are too narrow minded to listen to or employ people who might help you get there. However, respect, it’s your choice and people standing on their principals is a rare thing here. And expressing it with no hate even rarer.
Why is it narrow minded to believe that I can find competent locals. Okay, I have had do do some training that, maybe, I would not need to do with expats; but we are talking a few hours of extra work. Many of my staff have moved on to bigger and better things, with my blessings and assistance. Our youth are upto the task, just give them a chance. They are our future, and in most cases it is their parents who have failed them. We need to stand up and at least try to help our own, before we help others.
Mr. Dart, who do you get to write this stuff fr you?
So. 36 holes soon come?
Let’s hope so. There is a real need for it, given the poor tourist product on offer if it wasn’t for DART and the Ritz.
I would rather have Dart doing his pristine well kept developments, instead of the many half a%s developments that the “prestigious Cayman families” do.
ezzard… please tell me some of the negative consequences of darts involvement in cayman to date….?
jealousy and humiliation of local busniess people doesn’t count….
Why don’t you educate yourself and look it up. Have you ever googled Dart to see why so many are concerned. You might have to go farther than the first page of google if you can be bothered to look into it
Ezzard, sit down before you hurt yourself man !! Until recently the ‘Kirk’ group of companies owned the majority of the jewelry trade and concrete business on island… the Bodden company owned practically all of the aggregate business, Fosters had 50% of the food warehouse and grocery business, CUC still owns practically ALL the power generation and LIME only recently had to de-monopolize.
Let me guess Ezzard; because DART is a foreigner? The man is single handedly upscaling most of the islands building and design standards, building new roads and developing 1st world amenities for ALL to enjoy. OUr children and their children will gorw up in the jewel of the Caribbean and enjoy 1st world standards as others (IronWood etc) follow and trust me when I say, they will.
the ‘Kirk’ group of companies the Bodden company and Fosters are all local Caymanians who should rightfully benefit from commercial development on the island. The Kirks may have had inherited money but the Fosters and the Boddens,, I assume you mean the late Hubert and brothers, built up businesses from scratch and are worthy of admiration by Caymanians. I do realize though that some prominent Caymanians sold out properties to Dart whereas they should used their entrepreneurial skills to develop the properties themselves. Dart is given an upper hand by concessions he gets that t are not afforded to the local entrepreneurs.
Some people call it good business skills
Good business skills? How good do you have to be to out maneuver McKeeva?
105P – You must be an expat.. Kirk has not owned a majority of jewelry stores ever. Dart has owned the majority for several years now.
And Dart is a Caymanian. A paper Caymanian but it counts.
You need check the history of the Jewelry business before Dart arrived. In the 60s and 70s the business was dominated by the Kirkonnell family and the Merrens. The latter lacked the business acumen to continue in the business and they lost a lot of concessions to the former. For many years the Kirkconnells family dominated the jewelry business. Then along came Island Companies who were taken over by Dart. A few independents remain but buying power usually succeeds when concessions are handed out. It is unfortunate but between them Dart and the Kirkconnells have in effect a monopoly, except for the diamond business.
Let’s not forget what mr. Dart did in Argentina and in Belize. I would be “gravely” concerned if he already owned 1/3 of the Cayman Islands.
What Dart did for Argentina was loan them money to save their broken economy, and now they do not want to pay it back..
Its called fair and free trade. Remember, like all other businesses in these Islands, Government cant control free trade businesses. No price control, no limited business licenses.. remember, its called Capitalism by the Governments. I hope he buys all the land on Grand Cayman. I never hear about preserving anything for the grass root Caymaninas.
Ezzard ezzard ezzard you finally woke up!!! Dart has owned the majority of Cayman for a while now!!! He was kicked out of Belize and Cayman opened their arms to him!!! Where as something could have been done long ago, not today bobo. He renounced his US Citizenship to avoid paying taxes!!! You should be so proud having someone like that on your team. Cayman giving away Cayman to a business man who renounced his citizenship to avoid taxes!!! I am really surprised the financial industry and the UK hasn’t frowned on that yet.
Yep he renounced his US citizenship and is now investing hundreds of millions of Dollars in Cayman that would have been paid to the US in Taxes to do with as they please.
How has this hurt Cayman?
Regardless,renouncing your citizenship to avoid paying taxes but still reaping the rewards is kinda illegal don’t you think. He is still reaping the rewards from his US Company Dart Styrofoam but yet doesn’t have to pay taxes..yep thats ok, when nothing belongs to Cayman. Funny in the 1970’s and 1980’s we had crime but nothing like this, I don’t remember anyone going hungry, losing their homes, majority of people were working, so tell me whats better. Greed has destroyed this Island!!!
Not illegal at all. Hence no international reaction. The rest of his family is in the US. Is that illegal too by your standards? Or is it called tax planning which Cayman doesn’t get because there is no direct taxation.
Outrageous to avoid paying US tax by renouncing citizenship. Of course, not as outrageous as keeping your US citizenship, then not paying tax either. Step forward all the prominent Caymanians born in the US, carrying a US passport, who have never even filed a tax return.
Short-sighted. Just you wait
So far he seems to be doing a very good job of evading taxes in Cayman too. Not his fault though I suppose.
I would not disagree if he had to pay the same fees I have to pay. I do not lie, I do not call my manager a supervisor. I do not hire expats when there are qualified Caymanians just because those expats are my friends, or friends of my employees. I do not flex my pecks and expect special treatment. I love Cayman, and have a vision for her future beyond my balance sheet.
I think this article is “spot on”. I have long spoken for the need for fair trade legislation. As Dart, with bottomless pockets, continues to buy the country we have absolutely no way to protect our self from his economic control of the country and he continues go increase this control as time goes on. Please do not confuse the excellent job of design and construction with Darts goals being altruistic. This is far from the truth. I believe it was John Dalberg-Acton who said “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.” Most countries have legislation in place to protect a free and open market place from this type of economic take over. Cayman does not and will end up paying the price for this perilous oversight. Long term it is the Cayman people who will suffer as their country is allowed to be take over by one man’s empire.
you can protect yourselves, just don’t be greedy and sell out all the time
I do not sell out. I foster young Caymanians, and do everything possible to aid them in their future. I am a huge supporter of our youth. It is unfair competition, from a very powerful and questionably moral person, who receives special treatment and an unfair advantage that annoys me.
12:43pm – My face is blue from saying this for a few years now. People here (especially expats) are easily blinded by bobbles and blingy bits.
Obviously he makes things look nice, he’s got the pockets for it, NOBODY is saying he doesn’t!!! (I’m tired of hearing that actually)
And he already has some of the politicians dancing and anyone else that thinks they can feed off of Dart if they can.
It may already be too late. 1/3 of the island is not far off of 3/4. He has Royal Palms now too, they finally gave in to the $$$. So much for saying he can’t buy everything!! He can.
So the Kirkconnells have sold him the Royal Palms property? Capt Charles had it priced one time at such a high price that Dart would not contemplate its purchase.
Dart doesn’t own the Royal Palms property. It was once for sale for 50+ million (around that region) so that Dart would NOT buy it. Kirkconnells seriously despise Dart.
Check your facts Bobo
Really? Why?
4:31pm – actually the story goes that the price was over 80 million. Seems at the end of the day, it was just a story and it is now Dart property. Check you story.
Yes, I remember that well and was hoping they could stick it out. Even heard from a member of the family that it would not happen in this lifetime.
Weird how it has been kept on the Down Low.. I can only hope it didn’t go through.
Pathetic! He is investing in caymans and his own future. Who else does that in Cayman? Who gets the benefits? Both parties.
That is complete bollocks. The Arabs and Chinese own most of London and New York. Are they watched? Yes. Stopped? Not yet. It’s called investment. It’s good.
You cannot buy what is not for sale.
No, but you can make some very lucrative “deals” with unscrupulous politicians.
How dare DART put up attractive buildings and introduce interesting new businesses, restaurants, hotels etc. That gets in the way of same old rubbish operated from cut and paste soulless Floridian building designs.
Those interesting new businesses and restaurants that they bring from Florida?
Naturally just like many you only look at the small picture and the immediate impression, rather than looking at the wider picture and its implications for Cayman and its people.
And, no, I am not Caymanian I’m a Brit.
Dart will be here benefitting the community long after Ezzard and his back wood populist sound bites have been banished to the annals of insignificance.
Dart is out of control… but we only have ourselves to blame unfortunately.
Don’t blame “ourselves”. I had nothing to do with it. How about blaming greedy politicians!
Basically… The modern Caymanian is too lazy to work so they opt to sell the land they have inherited… Then complain about it afterwards.
Truth hurts don’t it… And I am Caymanian.
Err no, DART is in control, others, not so much.