An Open Letter to Elected Representatives on the Proposed J Resort Development
May 4, 2026
To:
The Honourable Philip Edward Davis, K.C.,Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
The Honourable I. Chester Cooper,Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investments and Aviation
The Honourable Clay Sweeting, Minister of Works and Family Island Affairs and Member of Parliament, Central and South Eleuthera
Re: Open Letter on the Proposed J Resort Development, Governor's Harbour, Eleuthera
Dear Prime Minister Davis, Deputy Prime Minister Cooper, and Minister Sweeting,
We, the Our Governor's Harbour community - Bahamians, residents, long-time homeowners, and friends of Governor's Harbour and Central Eleuthera, write to you as a community that has not been heard on a matter of profound importance to our island's future.
Jeff Jacobs, a US developer based in Reno, Nevada, is proposing what he has publicly described as the largest tourist-oriented development in the history of Central Eleuthera. The J Resort proposal includes a boutique casino, mega-yacht marina, boutique hotel, golf course, and more than 350 vacation residences, with a stated goal of acquiring land in and around Governor's Harbour from one coast to the other. Agreements may already have been made. Bahamas Investment Authority approvals may already have been granted. The community has not been informed.
We also note that this developer has a documented history of stalled and undelivered projects elsewhere. In Reno, Nevada, a multi-billion-dollar redevelopment district promised nearly a decade ago remains largely unrealized, with dozens of cleared lots sitting empty and major commitments unfulfilled. The promises made to Governor's Harbour deserve scrutiny in that context.
We are writing because what is being proposed is not the right kind of development for Governor's Harbour, and because the people who live here have had no meaningful role in decisions that would define this community for generations.
We Are Asking for the Following:
Reject any approvals for components of this project that would fundamentally and irreversibly alter the character of Governor's Harbour. A casino changes what Eleuthera is, permanently. It draws a different market, introduces negative social pressures, and signals a shift from Family Island lifestyle to gaming destination. A resort footprint spanning the island from coast to coast, with hundreds of residences, a golf course, and major tourism infrastructure, is disproportionate to the scale, character, and infrastructure realities of this historic settlement.
Ensure that any development in Governor's Harbour is proportionate to the scale and soul of this community. Governor's Harbour has been a living community for generations, founded by the Eleutheran Adventurers. Cupid's Cay, at its heart, was the site of the first Bahamian Parliament and the first United States Consulate in the nation. The character, density, and identity of this settlement must be the starting point for any development conversation.
Release full public details of all plans, agreements, and approvals to date. In line with the principles of the Escazu Agreement on access to information, public participation, and transparency in environmental decision-making, the community has a right to know what has been agreed. If a Heads of Agreement has been signed, it should be made public. If BIA approvals have been granted for land acquisitions, the public is entitled to know the terms. If an Environmental Impact Assessment has been initiated, its scope and findings should be accessible. Transparency is not a courtesy. It is a requirement of responsible governance.
Establish a formal, structured community consultation process with enforceable weight before any further approvals are granted. A single public meeting announced on short notice does not constitute consultation. We are asking for a process with adequate notice, accessible information, independent facilitation, and a formal mechanism for community input to carry real weight in decision-making.
Our Specific Concerns
Public beach access
Bahamians have a constitutional right to beach access. Large-scale developments across The Bahamas have a documented history of restricting that access in practice. Any agreement with this developer must include binding, enforceable public access commitments covering all existing access points, including the central access point at French Leave Beach closest to the Governor's Harbour community, written into approvals as conditions, not developer assurances.
The casino
The social costs of a gaming operation fall on local communities. Problem gambling, enforcement pressures, and the social dynamics that accompany a casino are predictable consequences that residents will live with long after the developer has moved on. This decision demands community input and cannot be a regulatory process conducted out of public view.
Scale and infrastructure
A development of this stated size will require large numbers of imported workers, place serious strain on roads, water, electricity, and waste infrastructure that already struggle to serve existing residents. Governor's Harbour's existing infrastructure is not equipped to absorb a project of this scale without lasting consequences for the people who live here.
Social and economic risk
Large-scale developments also carry documented social and economic costs for host communities: increased traffic and noise, crime pressures, strain on public services, displacement of local businesses, and housing affordability crises. These are not hypothetical concerns. They are the lived experience of communities across the Caribbean that accepted similar promises. The people of Governor's Harbour deserve an honest accounting of both sides before any approvals are granted.
Environmental impact
A development spanning from coast to coast, with a mega-yacht marina, golf course, large-scale construction, and the wastewater and runoff demands of a major resort, poses serious risks to the coastal ecosystems and marine environment of Central Eleuthera. A full, independent Environmental Impact Assessment must be completed and made publicly accessible before any approvals are granted. The environment is not a backdrop on Eleuthera. It is the economy.
Historic and cultural heritage
Cupid's Cay, the government dock, traditional public pathways, and the historic fabric of Governor's Harbour are irreplaceable. Redeveloping and rebranding these spaces to serve a resort does not just change the physical landscape. It erases the lived history of a community that has been here for nearly four centuries.
Our Position
We are Bahamians. We are residents, homeowners, business owners, and families who have built our lives in this community. We are not against progress. We are for progress that is proportionate to where it is happening and that genuinely serves the people it is built among.
We are asking that you, our elected representatives and ministers, act as advocates for this community, not for this project. We are asking you to insist on transparency, to oppose approvals for components that would permanently alter the character of Governor's Harbour, and to ensure no further decisions are made until the people of this community have had a genuine and enforceable voice.
With the general election approaching, the people of Central Eleuthera will be watching how their representatives respond. We are asking to be heard.
Respectfully submitted,
Our Governor's Harbour