Ambergris Caye Poised for Change; Residents Demand a Voice

Ambergris Caye could be on the verge of a major transformation, with plans for new roads, a cargo port, improved infrastructure, housing and even another airport. But while government planners envision a more developed island, some residents and tourism stakeholders say they’re being left out of the conversation. Their concern isn’t necessarily development itself. It’s who’s making the decisions, and whether the people who call Ambergris Caye home will have a say in what happens next. News Five’s Paul Lopez reports.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Imagine waking up to find that plans for your island’s future have already been drawn up, but you weren’t part of the conversation. That’s the frustration some San Pedro residents and tourism stakeholders are expressing over an ambitious development blueprint for Ambergris Caye. And while the potential relocation of the John Greif II Municipal Airport has grabbed much of the attention, the controversy goes far beyond an airport. Tonight, Mayor Wally Nunez says residents should not mistake long-term planning for an immediate plan to close the existing airport.

 

Wally Nunez, Mayor, San Pedro Town

“It is not that we don’t support the relocation. We don’t support the closure of the airport at the moment. What has happened is that we work together with the IDB to develop this strategic plan and it came up with a lot of consultation with different stakeholders on the island. And that is how they developed this strategic plan. It has so much different components for the entire island. A part of it is the construction of a new airport up north.”

 

But Nunez says the island isn’t anywhere close to abandoning its existing airstrip. In fact, he says the council is more interested in expanding runway options than moving the airport altogether.

 

Wally Nunez

“We are open mostly to having another runway open, not necessarily relocating this one. If it needs be that we will have to close this eventually, I wouldn’t see this happening in the next twenty years.”

 

The airport is just one part of a much bigger development plan. The 489-page blueprint also proposes a cargo port, new roads, upgraded utilities, housing, schools and healthcare facilities. But residents aren’t questioning development. They’re questioning why decisions that could reshape their homes, businesses and environment are being made without their meaningful input. That’s the concern raised by Melanie Paz, president of BTIA San Pedro.

 

Melanie Paz, President, BTIA San Pedro

“I think our biggest issue with BTIA in San Pedro and the other groups is that people, governments, and I am saying governments cause both, makes decision of what is happening on our island without us knowing, without consulting us and at the end of the day we are the one that is left here, having to deal with the destruction and messing up of our environment and when all that happens, and sometimes it is no longer a nice place to come, who gets left with it, we do. And when there is no tourism and what happens to our livelihood? We need to be involved in decisions that are made for our island where we live.”

 

And that demand for a seat at the table raises another important question: who actually helped shape this development plan? The document points to a task force established by Prime Minister John Briceño in 2022 to guide Ambergris Caye’s development. Mayor Nunez was among its members. He says the group included business representatives, other stakeholders and government ministers.

 

Wally Nunez

“We had different stakeholders, different business people, we also had some other ministers who were also a part of this task force.”

 

But several people at a press conference on the issue say they never received an invitation to participate. Some question whether the task force reflected the voices of ordinary residents, particularly those who have been advocating for stronger environmental protections.

 

Catherine Paz, President, Ambergris Northern Alliance

“I was not a part of it. Anyone in the room was a part of that task force? Most of us in here are from north, but there are a lot of other residents from other parts of the island, but we are not technical enough I guess.”

 

She says residents have repeatedly demanded meaningful consultation, and they’re not backing down.

 

Catherine Paz

“But consultation is not something new. We have been fighting for it. We keep fighting for it and we will not stop, because our voices must be heard.”

 

Melanie Paz goes further, suggesting that people with environmental concerns and competing interests may not have received the same opportunity to influence the process.

 

Melanie Paz

“People like us will never be asked to be on task forces to such extent simply because of what we stand for. The people they elect or select for those task force are people who have vested interest in the properties and stuff that they are planning to do and this is our biggest problem out there.”

 

And that brings the airport issue right back into focus. With Mayor Nunez sitting on the task force that helped develop the strategic plan, residents are questioning whether voters were adequately informed that relocating the John Greif II Municipal Airport was among the options being considered. Nunez says the task force never agreed to close the existing airport. He describes the proposal as a possible recommendation for the future, rather than an immediate decision.

 

Wally Nunez

“We never did discuss that we were going to close this. It was like a recommendation that it would be an option later on, that it could be closed and phase it out, if that is the case later on.”

 

For now, the mayor says the existing airport is not facing closure anytime soon. But for residents and tourism stakeholders, the bigger issue remains unresolved. They want development, but they also want transparency, meaningful consultation and a genuine opportunity to influence the future of the island they call home. Paul Lopez for News Five.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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