Abaconians are still waiting for the owners of derelict buildings destroyed by Hurricane Dorian to either renovate them or tear them down, President of the Abaco Chamber of Commerce Daphne DeGregory-Miaoulis said yesterday.
She said if the owners do not deal with their properties, the government should step in to force them into action.
DeGregory-Miaoulis said the buildings continue to be a stain on the island's city center.
"What I would like to see at this point is the cleanup of the derelict buildings," said DeGregory-Miaoulis.
"Three years has been more than adequate for people to get their affairs in order. And if they haven't, I think that the responsibility now falls on the government to come in and take over. Give adequate notice and have the properties demolished and cleared away. Put a lien on them and once the owners have sorted out their legal issues, then they can deal with it.
"It is an eyesore to those who remain here or have returned here. For visitors coming for the first time, it gives a very negative impression that Abaco doesn't care. That we don't take care of our island."
She praised the government for continuing to honor the tax exemption request of those who submitted applications before the end of the Special Economic Recovery Zone (SERZ) exemptions, which expired at the end of last year.
DeGregory-Miaoulis argued, though, that Abaconians have had three years to apply and move to get their affairs in order.
"As it relates to the tax exemptions, persons who had approvals for exemptions prior to the termination [of the SERZ] can get them renewed," she said.
"From that standpoint I think the government is actually correct in that you had three years to make an application. If you had lost everything, if you had lost anything, three years is adequate time, in my opinion, to make an application for duty-free exemptions. The fact that they are honoring those, to the best of my knowledge, and allowing extensions, that helps."
DeGregory-Miaoulis added that Abaconians are still waiting for the government to bring Marsh Harbour's dock into proper working order.
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