The Virgin Islands Daily News has questions about U.S. Rep. Stacy Plaskett's efforts to see a Connecticut-based private equity company a no-bid 60-year lease to the Caneel Bay Resort at Virgin Islands National Park/Carolyn Sugg via Flickr

Editor's note: The following is an editorial from The Virgin Islands Daily News, which has closely followed U.S. Rep. Stacy Plaskett's efforts to see that a private equity firm lands a 60-year lease to continue operating the Caneel Bay Resort at Virgin Islands National Park.

We can’t imagine how, or why, Delegate Stacey Plaskett overlooked mentioning in her press release last Friday (Oct. 12) that she would be accompanied to her public meeting on St. John this past Wednesday by CBIA Managing Member Gary Engle. (CBIA, Engle’s Connecticut-based private equity firm, owns the rights to manage Caneel Bay Resort until September 2023.)

Nor did she mention that her bill to give CBIA a 60-year, no-bid extension would be the major topic of discussion at the meeting. Had she so informed her constituents, we suspect the crowd would have been even bigger and likely even angrier than those in attendance challenging the merits of her bill.

Several important questions raised at the meeting went unanswered. For example, when asked about the value of the Caneel Bay property, Plaskett claimed “I don’t have that number off the top of my head.” When asked about the Caneel insurance payments he has received, Engle refused to disclose the amount. Many of the comments by Plaskett and Engle were simply misleading or wrong.

In another recent press release regarding Caneel Bay, Plaskett stated unequivocally that “all are questions that were discussed and negotiated with the resort owner.” And for most St. Johnians, we suspect that is at the heart of the problem with Plaskett’s bill.

CBIA’s owner, Gary Engle, is neither a St. Johnian nor a resident of the Virgin Islands. As our Delegate, why would Plaskett “discuss and negotiate” the terms of her bill with him and not with those of us she is elected to represent before introducing it into the House of Representatives? And why would she offer Engle a “blank check” legally obligating him to do absolutely nothing for a 60-year extension worth an estimated $3 billion?

(This) week, we will provide answers to several of the questions raised but not answered at Plaskett’s meeting. In the coming weeks, we will share more reasons why we believe Plaskett’s bill should be opposed by all St. Johnians, and all Virgin Islanders, who believe Caneel Bay’s future should be determined by St. Johnians and not by a 69-year-old private equity financier from Connecticut.

In the meantime, we urge Plaskett and Engle to drop the smokescreen and “come clean” with answers to all the questions St. Johnians have rightfully asked. 

Traveler footnote: Additional background on the Caneel Bay Resort issue can be found in the following articles:

Questions And Answers On The Future Of Caneel Bay Resort At Virgin Islands National Park

Virgin Islands Daily News: Plaskett’s Bill Delays Reopening Of Caneel Bay Resort

Caneel Bay Resort's Future At Virgin Islands National Park In Limbo

Traveler's View: Corporate Welfare At Caneel Bay In Virgin Islands National Park?

Laurance Rockefeller Wanted Caneel Bay Resort To Go To Virgin Islands National Park

Questions Remain Unanswered Over Caneel Bay Resort At Virgin Islands National Park