How Geraldine Hyde’s Property in Democracia Was Given Away

Tonight, we take you to a troubling case involving a Belizean living abroad who nearly lost the very land she had been leasing for more than thirty years. Geraldine Hyde says she and her husband first applied for a twenty-three-and-a-half-acre parcel near La Democracia Village back in 1993. Since then, they’ve maintained a lease on the property, expecting one day to secure full ownership. But when Hyde finally moved to purchase the land in 2022, she made a shocking discovery, it had already been handed over to someone else. So, who ended up with the property? The name rings a bell: Charles Anthony Price. He’s the same individual who made headlines in 2025 after securing same-day approval for a land application tied to a separate dispute. In that case, Independence resident Sherene Garbutt claimed the property was taken right from under her. Now, Hyde’s land is being returned to her, raising a bigger question, how do these situations keep happening? News Five’s Britney Gordon digs deeper into the growing concerns surrounding land distribution and oversight.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

“It’s on the minister’s desk, awaiting a signature.” That’s what Geraldine Hyde heard about the land she’s been trying to buy since 2022, a line many Belizeans know all too well. It’s the same promise Independence resident Sherene Garbutt says she got… right before her land was quietly handed to someone else. Now it’s happened again, this time to Hyde. And even more troubling, the land ended up with the very same person.

 

Geraldine Hyde, Belize City Resident

“We followed all the necessary procedures, and we thought that it was on track because every time we go, you know, slow progression, but it was progressing until the last we heard it’s at the minister’s desk.”

 

Hyde claims that she began leasing this property back in 1993 and had been maintaining it ever since. Receipts show that she has been paying for the land for decades, and fully believed she’d be able to seamlessly purchase it after her lease was up. However, when she finally secured a meeting to check on its status, she learned it may have already been sold to someone else.

 

Geraldine Hyde

“I said, “So when can I follow up with you?” But during that conversation, he was like, “Hmm, I wonder if this property  has title already.” I said, “It can’t be. I’ve been following up every time, and you guys keep telling me to come back. You know, it’s in process and, and now it’s on the minister’s desk, so how could it be titled? So he called me the following week and he said, “Are you standing or are you sitting?” I said, “Why? What happened?” He said, “Well, I got inside scoop that they gave away your land to someone else.” I said, “What?” I said, “That, that’s impossible. What do you mean? They’re telling me it’s on the minister’s desk for signature, and now you’re telling me it was given away?” 

 

Holding a government lease usually gives you first dibs on buying the land, but it’s not guaranteed. Hyde says she was told the minister could reject her application at any time. Still, she was never told a decision had been made. Like Garbutt, Hyde pushed back. She filed a formal complaint with the Lands Department, citing breaches of due process, major investments in the property, and misleading information from officials. After getting nowhere, Hyde turned to News Five. We then took her concerns directly to Lands Commission CEO Paul Thompson, who had this to say.

 

Quote, “In the wake of your Facebook posting, we reached out to Ms. Geraldine Hyde and after hearing her story concluded that the lands should be returned to her.  Her leases from the early 1990s had expired and the Ministry was under the impression that the lands were undeveloped and so could be reassigned.  We have committed to giving her an opportunity to purchase the two parcels of land. We won’t always get things right, but we try every day to address concerns when they are brought to our attention.”

 

Thompson claims that the property will now be returned to Hyde for purchase and Price will be compensated with another parcel. Hyde claims she had been told that Price was owed a parcel of land due to an error. Now, the land is being taken back, and he will allegedly receive a new one. Back in 2025, Price also returned the land back to the government amid the Garbutt land dispute. So, while Hyde has been promised her land, questions still remain as to how these mistakes keep happening and how many Belizeans will pay the price? Britney Gordon for News Five.

 

Hyde stated that if the promise to return the land to her is not fulfilled, she will take the Government of Belize to court.

 

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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