MP Lacroes: Don’t scare off investment, fix the process

GREAT BAY--Member of Parliament Francisco Lacroes says St. Maarten’s investment climate is being hurt by slow procedures and mixed signals from government, comments that appear prompted by the ongoing holdup surrounding the USD 200 million Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino project. He warned that when investors face uncertainty, “they redirect resources to other Caribbean nations where frameworks are clearer and timelines are respected,” calling that a direct threat to jobs and government revenues.

Lacroes tied the Planet Hollywood impasse to a wider pattern: long approvals, shifting messages, and the perception that St. Maarten is unfriendly to business. “This is not just a missed opportunity; it is a direct threat to fiscal stability,” he said, adding that foreign direct investment (FDI) has historically been a lifeline for the economy. When projects stall, the island loses construction jobs now and permanent jobs later, while government still faces rising bills.

He cautioned that trying to avoid risk by slowing or blocking projects can backfire. “By trying to shield ourselves from the risk of corruption, we may be fostering the very conditions that make corruption thrive; closed doors, slow approvals, and desperate businesses seeking shortcuts.” Instead of paralysis, he called for clear rules, stronger accountability, and leadership willing to make hard decisions, so investors get predictability and the community gets results.

Pointing to construction, roughly 16% of GDP, Lacroes said the sector is starved of new work: “Entrepreneurs get urgent notices to pay dues when there is no construction for months because building permits are delayed.” With the airport rebuild finished and some World Bank projects stalling, he warned that without fresh private projects coming online, employment and spin-off activity in transport, retail, and professional services will sag.

Lacroes stressed the broader consequences: fewer jobs, slower income growth, and tighter household budgets, while government revenues stagnate and essential services like education, healthcare, and infrastructure feel the squeeze. “St. Maarten’s economic slowdown is not accidental; it is the result of deliberate policy choices and an inability to align government priorities with long-term national interests,” he said. “A struggle for a 200-million-dollar investment to get what they need from government should never happen.”

Bringing it back to Planet Hollywood, Lacroes said this single case reflects a larger system problem: uncertainty. Permits and terms need to be processed on time and in sequence so that incentives don’t start running before shovels hit the ground. Otherwise, “we look like a jurisdiction that can’t make up its mind,” he added, urging Ministries to finalize paperwork promptly to avoid losing transformative projects and the hundreds of jobs they bring.

His urged the adoption of balanced policies that protect the public interest without causing stagnation. “What the island needs is not paralysis, but stronger systems of accountability, clearer rules, and leadership willing to make hard but necessary decisions.” He closed with a cultural nudge to act with urgency: “St. Maarten is at an intersection, and I can only invite the current government to ‘look pon the gully side,’ in the words of Morgan Heritage. The damage being caused does not have equal consequences for all.”

𝘌𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘵 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘺𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵, 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘜𝘚𝘋 200 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘉𝘢𝘺 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘦, 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘹 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘺. 𝘋𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

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