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not that i want to high jack this post ,,but what is the law on fishing off a dock if you own the condo or home ..can anyone tell you not to fish on the dock you built and own .. i love to fish but if i owned a home and made it a snorkel area ,and built a reef I might not want to not have people fish it out and kill all the small fish off it!!can I tell anyone local?? or tourist to not fish and get off the dock ?? .At royal palm many years ago we try to build a reef under it .but it was fished out in a few moths after all the peoples envoled hard work>>..????? whats the real deal on what you can or can not do????

Telegraph for Flip Flop: You are wrong.

Come to find out the bar was open. The small family stopped to buy a few drinks and sodas and asked permision to take a dip from the bartender, which was granted. The bar owner must have a serious problem if she doesn't now someone is operating out of her bar. Some caucasion lady asked him to leave when she noticed the little boy in the pool with his father, sitting on the edge of the pool, kept a close eye on him. Trying to cover up her "ugly North American" attitude she tried to explain, "You know what would happen if we let locals in here."

This brings to mind a few questions for the Town Board Licensing Committee:

Can a public swim up bar operate in a private condominium complex with a BTB Hotel License?

What part of the bar is under the Publican Special?

Do they have a license?

Is the Hotel legal? Who owns the Management Company?

Is the bar within 66' of the high water mark? In the Queen's Path?

Who is this lady given instructions regarding the condo complex? Is she management? Does she have proper immigration paperwork?

Are locals allowed in the dry part of the bar but not in the swim up part?

The sea belongs to the sea.

So you verified she was American? or you just labeled her.

Who's liable for injuries / deaths associated with this pool?

Who pays the liability insurance on the pool?

Is liability insurance available in Belize? Is it needed?

These are questions I asked when building my pier and attempting to educate myself on the local laws regarding pier use / access.

I never found a clear answer.

Some boarders basically said "Don't worry about liabilty. It's not an issue in Belize."

I would really like to know the actual laws / liabilty on this very issue.

I can't make sense of "you can't deny access" but at the same time if someone gets injured then "you're liable".

Is there a Belizean lawyer in the house?????????????

I don't see why someone would have a problem with a paying customer and his family using the pool that is connected to it. I personally have seen dogs swim in that very pool, so why should children that are with their parents be kicked out? Sounds mighty strange to me!!!!!!!!!!

Well so much for the "liability is not an issue in Belize" advise.

Here's what I've found so far, clearly liability IS a concern.



(2) Where any person suffers damage as the result partly of his

own fault and partly of the fault of any other person or persons, a claim in

respect of that damage shall not be defeated by reason of the fault of the

person suffering the damage, but the damages recoverable in respect thereof

shall be reduced to such extent as the court thinks just and equitable having

regard to the claimant's share in the responsibility for the damage:



(5) Where any person dies as the result partly of his own fault and

partly of the fault of any other person or persons, and accordingly if an action

were brought for the benefit of the estate under section 26 (4) of the

Administration of Estates Act, the damages recoverable would be reduced

under subsection (2) of this section, any damages recoverable in an action

brought for the benefit of the wife or husband, parent and child of the person

under sections 9 and 10 shall be reduced to a proportionate extent.

Here's a link to a liabilty case in Belize http://www.belizelaw.org/supreme_court/judgements/2006/sc/civil/577_of_2001.pdf

Chris - that "ugly north american" is actually a homeowner who pays homeowner fees and has every right to the enjoyment of her condo and the rules of the condo.

I know both the owner and bar owner and spoke directly to both last evening.

Each said that the bar was not open yet. Perhaps you should give Linda a call at Coco Locos and ask her direct.

I looked and looked but I can't find a case on swimming pool or pier liability in Belize.

I have learned this today; if you drive a motor vehicle you can and likely will be held liable for injuries to others if involved in an accident.

That's also the case in Britain - you're not necessarily criminally liable, but you have to pay their emergency medical costs even if they're in the wrong. Years ago someone ran across the road directly in front of me and I couldn't avoid hitting them. Luckily I was travelling very slowly and injuries were slight, but I was required to make some fairly nominal payment towards the NHS's costs.