7MB free-for-all can’t be ignored, says premier
(CNS): Uncontrolled vending on Seven Mile Beach has re-emerged as cruise passengers return while beach venues catering to them have all but disappeared. Public Beach was set aside for the Caymanian public to enjoy, but local families are being crowded out by masses of cruise tourists and unregulated trading. Premier Wayne Panton has said that the vending issue on 7MB has to be addressed and that the serenity of a “beautiful public asset” was being undermined.
Speaking recently via video call on Cayman Marl Road’s online morning show, Panton said that it was a mistake to have allowed the irregular trading to start as it has obviously got worse.
“It’s a challenge that cannot be ignored,” he said, noting that when he was commerce minister in the 2013-2017 PPM administration, he had begun investigating under what authority the people were doing business on the Seven Mile Public Beach.
He said that the vendors had given him the name of one person in authority who had told them they could operate on the beach. Panton didn’t reveal the name of the person who had allegedly given them permission but expressed his concern about what had happened as a consequence.
“That is not the way to run a country. That is not the way to have a proper process or fairness in the way you would deal with business regulation,” he said. “But I wasn’t given a lot of support in trying to address it at that time, as for some people it is a politically sensitive issue,” Panton stated of his former PPM colleagues, noting that many things are politically sensitive but it was now time to deal with the situation.
“We need to find a workable solution… We have to make sure public assets are available to the public,” he said. With beach chairs down to the waterline and irregular traders selling beer, ganja and other things, people can barely walk along the shore, never mind enjoy family time on the beach itself, the premier said.
Cayman is suffering from problems that have been allowed to get worse because those in government have failed to tackle them, he said, indicating that he would find a way to deal with it.
Most of the illegal vending takes place during days of high cruise numbers. Panton has raised concerns about the impact of cruise tourism on the community as well as the conflict it presents with efforts to improve overnight guest numbers.
He stressed again that the government does not support the idea of a cruise ship pier or trying to attract excessive numbers of cruise visitors. Instead, PACT wants to improve the situation so that local operators get a better deal from the cruise lines while catering to fewer people.
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The legal racket I go through to get a work permit when I could just be selling jazz cabbage at public beach
How hard is it to send in the police, confiscate all their products and rip down their illegal beach stores, and arrest them?
Apparently it is because you can’t find a cop on the beat on a good day. God knows where the cops are during the day anyways.
In the Fosters lunch line
As incredible as it may seem, police officers actually have to eat to stay alive too. Just like you.
Sorry. When things get busy I work through my lunch. And evenings. And weekends. And vacations. And do not insist on being bound by a 7.5 hour shift.
getting their numbers and sitting in bars most likely. welcome to jamrock.
my family and I are tourists that came back to grand cayman recently post covid. prior to covid you’d paid a premium to stay here because of the quiet, safe, beautiful beaches. that has all changed now but the prices have increased. it was not a terrible holiday, just not worth the cost. we’d definitely consider other locations for our next holiday now as it felt like the 7mb area was really going downhill fast. such a shame as we all many wonderful memories of the islands.
Impossible if you in inept, corrupt, and/or take unlawfully take direction from elected politicians who talk out of both sides of their mouths rather than robustly, effectively, and efficiently applying the law, without fear or favor.
And NO. Standards that may be considered acceptable in Jamaica or Trinidad are NOT acceptable here!
How hard can it possibly be to sort out a joint operation between RCIPS, WORC and PLC and shut down these chancers and deport them? Zero joined up thinking on this rock.
Because most of them are Jamaicans. So we Willis rather not offend anyone, especially them.
Feels like some of the beaches in Mexico. This is not what people want when visiting Cayman. It is NOT what locals want. Panton, you say it it’s a challenge that can’t be ignored then why don’t you do something about it?
If you’ve ever been to any attraction in Jamaica, you’d have noticed the village of aggressive vendors selling everything from sandals to weed. That’s our future if the government remains docile. The law is simple, get a TBA and operate in legal areas. It’s not I’ll sell what I want where I want. Go back to your infested s**tholes for that. Oh that’s right, you make more money here than there because you allowed your countries to go to hell so you’re setting ours on the same path because it benefits you.
Also, who is responsible for enforcing the WIZ regulations at the sandbar? DOE, Coast Guard? I was out there last weekend and one of the huge tourist catamarans had dropped anchor and was parked in the middle of the sandbar. One of the Coast Guard vessels did a drive by but could not be bothered to stop. I thought there were fees collected so that the DOE would be on site everyday?
Stop the government interference as we need free market and workers movement to keep costs down and have better competition. If the vendors do not give good service they will be out of business, simple. If a freelance contractor can give us better prices and service than that is good. Get big brother off our backs!
Yes we no need bossy breathing down our necks.
Also the miss-handling of the rays has resumed, lifting out of the water and aggressively holding them so the tourists can get their stupid selfie. I hope a tail barb awaits those individuals. I have been told that two people were recently barbed by rays at Sand Bar ( handlers) not the swimmers.
Did it ever stop?
I am Caymanian and I am thinking of moving my business to Public Beach that way I don’t need permits, T&B, insurance and I get to store all of my stuff rent free right on the beach, I assume CUC is included as well.
If you are not being sarcastic, you are a huge part of the problem. Man up!!!
Duh
10:43:
Those who can read have a clear advantage.
Just like all the other issues on the island, they’ll do absolutely nothing.
Also what about the construction workers from the two adjacent projects filling up the parking lot every day?
Even if you could find a space on the Public Beach there is no parking from 7am.
The work sites should be made to provide their own parking areas.
And what about the construction workers toking away on puff on their lunch break while some of us are using the gym up there? Low hanging fruit for RCIPS but why would they arrest their bredren?
Come on now, smoking a joint should not be a prioritised crime, plenty of other opportunities, but leave my pot smoking brethen alone
It’s a public parking lot and they are members of the public.
it is a public parking lot for Beach users not Construction workers.
No, its a public parking lot for the public.
It behooves me to say in this regard that the cultural experience for tourists interacting with a real live Caymanian is part of their time on island. Can’t have Cayman Kind if no Caymanians to meet. Caymanian Vendors selling traditional dishes on SMB tourists like Oxtail and KFC should be licensed and permitted. It behooves me to further say a Caymanian petting zoo would also indeed stimulate the tourists in its own right.
I can get KFC in any shit hole in the USA (where I live 1/2 year). I don’t visit Cayman the past 35 years to go to KFC! What a piss poor response. Sheesh, why is this so tough for you folks! And a street vendor with a petting zoo??? You need to revisit, oh never mind; why try to fix stupid! Comments like this reinforces my understanding why evolution has stopped in Cayman for some folks.
Woosh. Classic American.
Lol
Kinda missed the point boyo
In response to your exgression it behooves me to say your denial of a fresh Colonial Sanders Chicken made on island while petting a Cayman mutt appears to be ideal in taming your testosterone and shift you into pure bliss island time. Now you’re looking for a vendor for some nice cold fluids to accompany your dining experience. Case closed I’m behooving myself from this conversation indeed.
What does behooves mean?
Tons of behooving
Just like SNL’s skit gotta have more cowbell baby… there’s never enough behooves in a Cayman Islands discussion.
Vendors should be allowed to walk around the Government Administration Building throughout the day.
Selling 40’s and hot dogs. I agree.
i’ll take a 40 please..
Carry on business without a Trade and Business Licence issued under the Trade and Business Licensing Act is illegal, which, if contravene, is a criminal offense that can lead to a fine or imprisonment, or both. DCI needs to enforce the law.
Andre Ebanks is Minister of Commerce. This falls under his Ministry’s responsibility.
Well this is a failure that lies with Andre and DCI enforcement.
No. Enforcement is an issue for the civil service. Imported. Expensive. World class. Absent.
How many of these illegal traders, who carry on business with a Trade and Business license, deposit their profits into a bank account?
If these illegal profits are deposited into a bank account with a local Class A licensed bank, isn’t this a money laundering offence?
Yes, deposit illegal profits into a bank account is a money laundering offence.
Yes. But so are various law firm profits generated through the unlawful practice of Cayman Law.
We are corrupt.
Words, words, words. Exactly what I expect for every serious issue facing us.
can’t be ignored???
thats exactly what you have done for 8-9 years!!!!
just another day in wonderland…..zzzzzzzzzz
Can’t be ignored? Of course it can be ignored! It’s been ignored. It will be ignored some more.
We made the mistake of visiting the public beach on a cruise ship day. All of the cabanas were taken over by vendors one of which played loud music that you could have probably heard in George Town. The beach was packed with chairs that had been rented by those off the cruise ship. Not a pleasant experience
Who did you vote for in the last elections? Are you complicit for the corruption in the cabinet? Just curious. #Caymanianstakeresponsibility.
We got how we voted for – Idiots, gee, lucky us.
Wow! Mr. Premier while you are at it please get your group together to come up with ideas to partner with interested land owners in the outlying districts to create some unique attractions for the tourists – both cruise and stay overs- to take the strain off public beach. Spread the attractions around the islands.
Mr. Premier – 7 mile beach is not the only issue. Cayman has become a free-for-ALL. (ALL, except Caymanians, that is).
Why the hell are we so incapable of enforcing even the simplest of laws (tint/littering/speeding/indicating/business licensing…) with any consistency?
Because CAYMANIANS are supporting this travesty. Want to stop the ‘free’for-ALL’… Look at the Caymanians who quietly allowed this – you elected him! Look at the Caymanians who quietly support this. Please stop blaming all else; Cayman take responsibility.
Caymanians played no role in the appointment of our Attorney General (Jamaican), our Solicitor General (Trinidadian), our Commissioner (Irish), the Head of our Trade and Business Licensing Department (Trinidadian) or our Governor (British). They, together, are actually the ones – it seems – with primary responsibility. Please tell me what individual from the Cayman Islands I can hold accountable, especially given politicians play no role in the enforcement of our laws? What am I missing?
Be nice if he would tell us something we don’t already know…
Senior DCI approve all kinds of things that they shouldn’t be approving. eg There should not be any loud events approved near residential zonings, yet these keep happening. Last weekend a ticket-selling BYOB liquor DJ event at Safehaven Port Authority parking lot, yards from Turnberry until 2+am. Last night a fireworks show that began at 11pm off the Westin. Towns and Communities Law needs to be made relevant again – beginning with DCI reading, comprehending, and following the law. It emboldens the level of permissive lawlessness in our community. Who has our back, Panton?
DCI and the Liquor Licensing Board are clueless. Years ago when they had a good Chairman and Secretary who were trying to follow the law, they got rid of them and since then it’s been a mess when it comes to liquor licensed events.
fireworks on seven mile beach have become a real problem. Every hotel shooting them off on weeknights when people trying to sleep for work, and kids sleeping for school.
no fireworks should be allowed on weeknights past 8pm
True and would add: we don’t really need unregulated heavy metal fallout on our bleaching reefs – marine tourism pilar for the Cayman Islands. These hotel operators are shooting themselves in the foot.
The Seven Mile Beach Corridor is rapidly going to hell.
And absolutely nothing is being done about it.
Gosh anyone surprised by this mess? Vendors should not have been allowed period. So the solution is to stop them now. NO VENDORS! Problem solved.
It’s baffling to me that 10-15-20 vendors illegally doing corrupt business on a beach is SO HARD for a government to simply drive a few trucks up and remove them …tomorrow! Are these vendors wizards who put a spell on the police? Are they so highly influential that the police are afraid? Have they bought off the police? Are they invisible to the police? Yes, serious sarcasm for what is obvious – CIG has some purpose for not rocking the boat for 20 +/- miscreants who are ruining the beach, taking it away from the citizens, and also polluting the experience for visitors (I do favor having NO CRUISE visitors bussed there, but without the vendors, order and civility may return).
Probably the relatives of the cops doing the vending.
If I remember when the Jaycees’ (I think Jaycees) made the public beach it was turned over to the government on the grounds that NO vending was to be allowed onsite.
Move the governor, designate the venue for locals or with a local only.
1.42pm Do you realise that most “locals” are now from Jamaica?
“It’s a challenge that cannot be ignored”…. but we’re going to ignore it anyway.
And who is to blame for this shambles?!
@1:19pm..Joey Who?
Nope. Well before him.
#heissupportedforsomereason
I am sure it’s just a case of miscommunications like it was at Smith Cove.
this issue started under udp….was ignored by do-nothing-ppm and will not be addreesed either by no-plan-pact.
cayman gets what it deserves, when the brightest and best minds on island are prevented from running for office.
Well we got UDP back now, in all but name.
That should give you a pretty good idea who it was that told the higglers it was OK to turn our beach into a Jamaican cess pit.
another clear reason why we need direct rule…both sides of the house have failed to address this issue with the fear of losing votes…..hence nothing is done.
hence why civil service will never be reformed.
@1:10pm..direct rule by who? I hope you are not calling that shambles of a government in the UK better than ours or that we should be direct ruled by them..talk about a major f up that would be..
Sorry to throw some reality your way, but: The ‘shambles of a government in the UK’ IS still better than the clowns and uneducated Ministers you elected. Cayman is decades away from responsible self-government; and by that time if you think 2022 issues are bad, oh boy do your children have a sad future.
And yet you’re still here 3:48. Milking it out to the last drop eh?
At least they are not corrupt.
Exactly! @1;10 pm is dreaming about this direct rule bs again. Seven mile beach needs to be sorted out asap. But you and you direct rule nonsense is getting real tired. The mother country is in a hot mess over there and is in dire need of having some one help them. Direct rul will never happen so try to get a new song sheet.
I agree. Get some civil servants from the UK on Island in charge of the departments. Ones that won’t give a crap about votes or favouring their brothers from Jamrock.
This isn’t difficult. The politicians here meddle in stuff that they shouldn’t be. This is a simple CIG issue, get them removed. Politicians shouldn’t come into play but they do because of how small we are.
Swap the head of departments out with some from the UK that don’t care about keeping their friends in high places, or their imports on side, or about politicians egos.
If we get “civil servants from the UK”, they will “favour their brothers from” England.
the usual soon-come non-update from wayne and no-plan-pact….zzzzzz
any person with a backbone and interest in the common good could get this mess sorted in a couple of days.
Such bullsht. If it can’t be ignored then stop ignoring it. DCI can go down there and request T&B licenses and work permits and when they’re not provided…police and WORC can be there to clean it up.
Give anyone with a backbone the authority to handle it and it could be solved in 24 hours.
But the most powerful (supposedly) man in the government says it can’t be ignored and literally does nothing.
The reason for that in case you can’t figure it out is that he wants the votes for those opposed to the vendors so he says it’s not ok…but he needs the votes from those vendors (the ones that can vote) so he leaves them alone in reality. Playing both sides of the same coin. Loser
Oh but the issue is soooo complex and soooo politically sensitive. Only because that excuse justifies their own ineptitude. Rules gone out the window again. Don’t we have trade & business laws, a police force/DCI officers or do they do as usual, fiddle at their desks? Why the continued delay Mr. Premier, DG? Are you waiting for woke input from our HRC in order for enforcement to do their job? We are entering peak tourist season and we now have activity on our main beach that is more akin to other downtrodden regional islands. It’s been going on now for nearly 6 months and no action. It’s totally unacceptable!
My guess is that from the very top to the boots on the ground once again our overpaid and underperforming CS has failed miserably to mitigate this situation once again.
The system for dealing with this is in place but there’s a blockage. Could it be that it takes some kind of an emergency operation or crack down to deal with the blockage effectively remedying the situation? I guess so, then there will surely be justification for another awards ceremony after he completes his convalescence.
Sick to the teeth of you Mr. Premier, DG and Gov. You all need to go, Soon!
But it is being ignored!
Please do something about the Jamaican illegally “renting” his Seabob contraption along the beach. Hustling $20 for 10 mins on this dangerous fast machine. He is so rude , doesn’t care as he zips through families hustling and then these people who do take his hustle are a danger to our people as we swim and relax . It’s
Outrageous he can get away with this, what happens if someone gets hit by this thing ?
This proud Jamaican isn’t hard to find, ( he tells everyone he from Jam and not cayman).
Wait till the robbers show up at 10am with mask on. Those vendors will get then.
Its a very simple process. Kick them off the beach. This is another classic example of CIG & MLAs listening to BS. Stop listening to the vendors and tell them no and they will find another way to sell crap. If you go to any first world country you don’t have this going on without regulation. Only in 3rd world countries.
Just allow one Government operated facility on the beach and build a hut for it.
So, where’s our boy Kenny in all this? Hangin with the stars in Hollywood I guess. You’ve got the mess on SMB and as the Compass reported ferrying passengers to LC because Cal planes are broken. So to solve the problem they are ferrying passengers to LC and without adequate life vests. Planes can’t takeoff without life vests so why are they allowing this? Wait til they have an accident it’ll be like Bangladesh or the Philippines where they have ferry rollovers. You just can’t make this stuff up.
My opinion, I think in 10 to 15 years it wont be any beach left, so that discussion wont even be relevant. Our well paid decision makers past and present has allowed the destruction of my beautiful Island and facilitated and still facilitating permissions for it to transform into a concrete Jungle.
The good news is the beach will be gone before long and so will the vendors.
This is a damn shame. I cant go to Public Beach any more and find a space otherwise I am harassed by vendors? I want to see one of them try to move me from a space though Bobo!
Not sure what the government expects. They have allowed Dart to buy up all the 7 mile area. They closed Calico Jacks. The old Hyatt (Palm Heights) has pretty much closed its doors to locals unless you want to pay big fees. Closed the palms and started up Coral beach. I stopped by there last week and turned around when i saw a sign saying cruise ship special $5.00 entrance plus fees to sit etc. Yes there was someone there collecting. 7 mile is all about catering to tourists and getting as much money as possible from them while doing this. Defiantly no longer open to anyone living here.
Dart is a Caymanian..how would you feel as a Caymanian that you could only buy what the Government tells you to buy or not to buy?
Paper Caymanian, store bought Caymanian, imported imitation Cayman, FAKE CAYMANIAN.
Get rid of them all! Wait till someone has a serious collision on one of those broken down sad looking wave runners. Not one of them has any kind of insurance…..
someone man up to the job and run these people out of business and off the beach
Remember the days when Police would stroll along the beach? If it is illegal to have unlicensed vendors hawking wears and services on the beach – then we have the means to control it. Have the police actually enforce the law.
Police were very good at making sure people didn’t set foot on the beach during covid lockdowns. They even got the quad bikes to do it! Are they more scared of these beach vendors than the families they chased down in covid? Maybe we can chase these vendors off the beach with the quad bikes! Hee-haa
This is the way the whole country is being run.
Anyone who has faith in the Civil Service or the PAC Gov’t to do the right thing needs medication.
I’ve lost count of how many proclamations Panton has made, but nothing gets done.
If Wayne Panton, as Premier, runs the Cayman Islands, like he did as the President of the Caymanian Bar Association, which had been reduced to attending formal events (but not holding meetings or annual general meetings for years), the Cayman Islands is in major trouble.
The free-for-all started in his Administration and then spilled over onto the Public Beach.
Wouldn’t knowingly giving permission to do something you have no authority to give permission for, especially when the activity you are giving permission for is itself an offense, be a crime?
‘7MB free-for-all can’t be ignored’
no it can’t (and isn’t by those affected) put probably will by Govt like it has for the past how many years.
Thanks to GPS and Youtube, all our relaxing places frequented by locals is being overrun by day-trippers. Forget Spotts Beach also. Is it possible for us in the private sector to buy and dedicate a small park for Caymanians/residents?
Perhaps the ACC can consider whether any of our robust, independent, impartial and expensive law enforcement agencies have failed to do their job for political reasons? If that is the case, can we expect any arrests?
Not just the illegal vending but can you imagine what tourists must think when they see the likes of the old Calico’s and Royal Palms!? Absolutely atrocious that they’re left to rot like that in full view.
But I guess we can’t say anything bad about our overlord who has given us so many concrete and asphalt gifts.
Not only are Royal Palms and Calico Jack’s in disrepair, but we still have the wreck of the old Hyatt hotel and a bridge by Royal Palms that was built causing much disruption and nothing further has happened. How about some fines for the land owner of these eyesores.
The Cayman product is just about dead.
One of the reasons tourists love coming to Cayman is that they are not harassed by beach higlers. Petty damn soon we will have nothing left for tourists to enjoy.
…Loved…
Wow the premier is in charge of the really important matters. Somebody better wake up Roy too….he probably has something to say about this.
DCI, RCIPS and WORC have been making regular stops out there to deter illegal vending. Its not enough though, there should be a permanent security prescence on the beach because as soon as the police leave it starts up again.
Arrests and prosecutions are a better deterrence.
Ban all cruise passengers from Public Beach and give the beach back to the people! Ban illegal beach vendors – why are they operating above the law regarding T&B, Pension, medical etc?? Do not license private activities on public properties unless they are for the benefit of the country as a whole!
Yes that beach was suppose to be for the resident people not cruise ship passengers. Let the cruise lines buy their own beach……..yeah right.
Government sold out our public beach to Dart long ago. Ask the Volleyball Association what happened to the sand that was there and belonged to Caymanian’s. It’s no longer for the people of the Cayman Islands ,which is what it was intended to be. With more constuction in the area less and less locals will be able to use freely. Very sad times for locals. Is it too late to fix this Wayne?
Why can’t it continue as the situation on the construction front has been a free for all for years. Loads of people on work permits taken out by rogue employers who never have any work but charge the WP holder a fee for helping them get a work permit while these people are out all over contracting jobs and putting honest licensed businesses at a disadvantage. Or they are roaming around on the large sites working as “sub-contractors” without any liability insurance or workers compensation insurance, not following any of the labor laws but knocking legitimate workers out of jobs because they will work “cheaper”. Your new set of developers are allowed to act as general contractors so the whole situation is just a sh*& show. They love not having to pay all the costs associated with the labor laws since they are just “sub contracting”. All for the love of money!
This is so true it’s nearly impossible to recruit from overseas qualified tradesmen they won’t travel to compete with the cheap labor that’s on offer now .
Even skilled Jamaicans will not travel to be part of this free for all .
The problem is at the source and that’s immigration they have not been trained to detect the fronters and opportunist who get a permit taken out and let loose on the street .it then becomes everyone problem but immigration.WROC then have to fight through the mess
We have imported our own poverty and underbelly there are 100 wandering around daily on permits and not working..
Wayne.
It is really simple. The Civil Service (Police, Immigration, Border Control, DCI) need to do their jobs. They need to do their jobs all day every day, no matter what a politician says or thinks. This is not a political issue. This is an issue of law enforcers refusing and failing to do their jobs. Repeatedly. Consistently. Unapologetically. The views of politicians ought to be an irrelevance. If the politicians do not like the fact that civil servants are enforcing the law, they should change the law. If the civil servants are failing or refusing to enforce the law, the Governor should change the civil servants.
What is and has been happening is maladministration. Now verging on criminal.