AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums The Cayes Environment South Beach development shut down

The Dept of Environment shut down the operations that were developing a huge resort called South Beach located on the southern tip of Ambergris Caye. The Chamber had received several complaints on the huge number of mangroves being cut, and concern on the amount of dredging. South Beach is a large upscale development, and the plans and more information are available on their website.

interesting, umm, development...

Is this just a temporary measure?

Marty, where does this info come from? I was just down on the southern tip this weekend. I saw no dredging nor any mangrove cutting going on to be stopped.

As far as I could tell there has been nothing done on that site.

Are you sure you were looking in the right area? I don't think they have started dredging yet (but I could be wrong) but they certainly have started clearing major amounts of Mangrove at the waters edge. You probably wouldn't be able to notice from the main road.

You can see it from the air and it is pretty devastating

I took aerial photos of that area as I have property on the windward side next to Ras Safari Bar. I will admit that I was more focused on the windward side but I did take special note of the entire south end looking for any new developments since my last visit and I saw none. Perhapse there has been some cutting at the sea edge that was not noticeable to me from the air but I'm certain there was no burning of the mangrove going on as I'm sure I would have seen that.

On my last visit I could clearly see and photographed the clearing and burning being done on the 4.5 acres for sale on the southern most point.

There's a picture of the area being cleared in here:

//ambergriscaye.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showgallery/Number/262228

You have to go down a side road and then follow a foot path in to see the full extent of the clearing.

if this is true, and it is shut down for good, i will be very impressed!
from where i stand, the D.O.E. has never given any hint that they cared one crap about all those pesky complaints and concerns over mangroves and dredging that others, countrywide, have also been flooding their office with.
something's amuk!!!
we shall see,,,,,

I can't tell much from those photos. Maybe someone could take some current aerial photos of the specific area in question.

Gimme US$500 and its done!

Jesse, for $500 US I can fly there from Mississippi and do it myself!

So go for it!
Most of that is for the Astrum helicopter.
But you probably have your own.

Jesse..... are you trying to be a smart ass?

I'd say honest. Do you have any idea what it costs to charter a plane or helicopter to take decent aerial shots.

do the maya and tropic flights pass over that area?

sometimes, but they are simply passing over - if you get a good shot - great, but unless you charter a plane they can't do the number of fly-bys that you need in order to get some good shots.

I just took some pretty good ones on my $45.00 plane ride from Int. to San Pedro of the windward south end. I just asked the pilot to swing over my property and he did.

I was simply suggesting that someone could snap some photos as they took a $35.00 ride to Caye Caulker or Belize Muni.

And yes I do also know exactly how much charting cost as the next to the last trip I chartered a 172 from Int. to San Pedro for $240.00 and circled multiple times over our property to take #'s photos.

Oh, and BTW Jesse I am also a licensed pilot here in the US. But no I do not own a helicopter.

Are there any more smart ass comments from this peanut gallery?

Thomas Blackledge
601-849-1918

Oh, if you're satisfied with third rate photos, thats only US$250...

I happen to think that this is a very serious issue. Maybe this is really not a rational forum in which to address it. Tropic and Maya fly directly over the area and you can see clearly where the cutting is done and the filling. I hate to be a cynic but possibly the project has stopped because someone has figured out that it wouldn't make money?????? There are only so many flights available to get here and we are hopefully close to a glut (as that would slow development)

I would think that if there was a demand...a new plane or two would be added and a pilot or two would be hired.

I have been really disheartened by what this misplaced megadevelopment would do to the natural environment and local aura of AC -- would love to know more about this - please keep this forum informed on this Mark!!

Very large amount of mangrove has been clear cut in the area of question. There is a road for equipment cut to the area. Very visable departing or arriving spr.

*bump*

i missed this over the weekend...thought others might have too.

I just posted photos of the cleared mangroves in the photo forum.

//ambergriscaye.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=266124#Post266124

sad indeed.
anyone of those photos could be mistaken for the placencia area!

NONE are so blind as those who will not see.

On another thread (Reef Village), I just saw a 2/20 message from someone saying that he had been informed by South Beach that they would be breaking ground in 30 days.

I didn't have the heart to say on that thread that I had just been up to see Reef Village for the first time. It is one of the ugliest things I have ever seen. It is possible the interiors are nice. But the exteriors just need the Motel 6 sign, the interstate and chain link fence in front and the asphalt access road. That's before one considers the cost to the community of losing wetlands and the long-term water issues Reef Village is going to face. The new owners, however, are thrilled and think the place is great.

So it appears Reef Village South is on the way. Does anybody know what to do? Heredia's recent grandstanding makes clear that the names and faces have changed, but nothing else. I am very distressed. It's hard to watch this happening.

Yes, the developers of Reef Village haven't tried very hard to merge their buildings into the surroundings. Mind you, that's true of other major developments as well. Tricky to blend a four storey building into the mangroves (if there are any left).

http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=17.908999&lon=-87.968216&z=15&l=0&m=a&v=2
Shocking to see the size of South Beach development when I checked out this map!!

The ad says 800 acres. That is a lot of space. The town core of San Pedro town from Milo's ice to the Sunbreeze hotel is approx 100 acres.

I thought that this project had been shut down. Is that not true?

It doesn't appear to be, unless it was one of the two that was shut down again last week. I haven't heard that to be the case though.