Vendors Ordered to Leave Sapodilla Bay Beach

Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands — Vendors at Sapodilla Bay Beach will be removed from the popular beach, according to local non-profit tourism organization Experience Turks and Caicos.

In a press release following a November 7 court ruling on the matter, Experience TCI notified beach vendors that they have been operating in contravention of the law and will be required to relocate to a parking lot approximately 300 feet (91 m) away, where plans are underway for a permanent vendor facility.

During a 28-day notice period, vendors will be allowed to continue operating on the beach under temporary tents provided by Experience TCI to ease the transition and facilitate the demolition of permanent unauthorized structures.

The organization emphasizes that the relocation is not intended to eliminate jobs, but to ensure vendors operate “safely, legally, and within the standards expected of the Turks and Caicos Islands’ luxury tourism offering.”

“We are not taking away opportunities to earn but enhancing them by ensuring our vendors operate with pride and professionalism,” said Tourism Minister Hon. Zhavargo Jolly.

The decision comes after a prolonged legal dispute over unauthorized structures on the beach, including a permanent restaurant installation that violated planning and environmental regulations.

“What we are doing at Sapodilla Bay is not about removing livelihoods, it’s about ensuring those livelihoods are sustainable, safe, and in keeping with the laws of our land,” said Turks and Caicos Premier Hon. Charles Washington Misick.

Sapodilla Bay Beach is a white-sand beach located on the south coast of Providenciales near Chalk Sound. The beach is home to several private villas and shallow turquoise water that has made it a popular beach for families with young children.