“Hands Off Our Shore”: Jamaican Community Sues to Protect Providence Beach from Sandals Resort Plans

Community fights to preserve public access and coastal livelihoods

Tourism has long been central to Jamaica’s economy, but a proposed private development has prompted local residents and environmental advocates to take legal action to protect public access to Providence Beach. The Jamaica Beach Birthright Environmental Movement (JaBBEM), together with allied community groups, filed suit seeking to preserve access along a road that currently crosses private property and to protect shoreline ecosystems that support fishing and daily life.

Legal basis: the Prescription Act of 1882

Reporting from The Gleaner cites Section 4 of the Prescription Act of 1882: "if any beach has been used by the public for fishing, bathing, or recreation for 20 years, and any road or track adjacent to that land has been used by the public to access the beach over the same 20-year period, the public will thereafter have the absolute right to use such beach and access points." JaBBEM asserts residents have used Providence Beach for more than 60 years.

JaBBEM president Devon Taylor has argued the nearly 150-year-old Prescription Act should protect long-established public access. He contrasted that law with the Beach Control Act of 1956, which community advocates criticize as a legacy of colonial-era control that enables government and corporate licensing of coastline use. "The problem across the island is that Jamaicans do not have any inherent right to use the beach and to use the sea," Taylor told The Gleaner. "The Beach Control Act of 1956 is the enemy of the people, as it allows for control of the coastline by corporations and by the Government, which issues licences to operate on the coastline."

The proposed development and environmental concerns

The dispute centers on a proposed Sandals Resorts International project. The Voice and the project Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) describe plans that include "18 overwater bungalows, pylons, a supporting boardwalk carrying utility pipes, 10 villa-style suites, wetland conversion and coastal modification." Local groups have also raised alarms about the health of nearby mangroves — vital coastal buffers and fish nurseries — and the loss of a public access road that residents have used for decades.

Project proponents say the resort would boost tourism and create jobs. However, the EIA reportedly estimates roughly 50 low-wage positions from this development, a number community advocates argue is insufficient to justify the potential environmental and social costs.

Community, ecological and economic stakes

Providence Beach provides recreation, cultural connection, and fishing-based livelihoods that support local families. Opponents warn that corporate-driven coastal development can lead to displacement, increased pollution, strain on local infrastructure, altered fishing patterns, and long-term damage to the ecosystems on which tourism and communities both depend.

Supporters of careful development stress the need to balance economic opportunity with environmental protection and community rights. Advocates say transparent consultation, robust environmental safeguards, and enforcement of public access rights should guide any coastal project.

Court schedule and storm impacts

According to The Gleaner, JaBBEM's lawsuit was set for continuation in the St. James Parish Court on November 10, as reported on October 21. Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on October 28, and local authorities and businesses have been assessing storm damage. It remains uncertain whether the November 10 hearing proceeded as planned given post-storm recovery efforts.

This case highlights larger tensions over coastal ownership, community access, mangrove and shoreline conservation, and how tourism projects should be evaluated against residents' livelihoods and long-term environmental resilience.