Posted on 07/23/2010 11:22:25 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Belize said Jeff Greene's yacht damaged a coral reef, racking up $1.87 million in unpaid fines.
On a Tuesday morning five years ago, Summerwind, a three-story, 145-foot luxury yacht, maneuvered above the celebrated barrier reef that lines the coast of Belize. There it dropped anchor -- and plunged into controversy over severe damage to a coral reef system officially recognized by the United Nations as one of the world's most magnificent and irreplaceable treasures.
``The guys from the area told me they were beside the boat before it dropped anchor, and they were yelling and waving their hands, shouting, `No! No, don't drop here,' '' recounted Melanie McField, a marine scientist with the Smithsonian Institution who surveyed the reef soon after the incident. ``It was bad. There was a lot of damage.'' The owner of that yacht? Billionaire Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Greene.
The real-estate mogul from Palm Beach was not aboard the boat at the time. And, oddly, Greene today says the incident never happened, despite extensive publicity about it at the time (including statements from his representatives), eyewitness accounts, scientific surveys of the damage and an extensive case file at the country's Department of Environment.
``Jeff Greene doesn't take a penny of special interest money, so career politicians are attacking him with ridiculous stories about something that didn't even happen five years ago on a boat he wasn't even on,'' said campaign spokesman Luis Vizcaino.
`THAT'S OUR QUOTE'
Asked how he could say it never happened when Greene's own employees at the time acknowledged a problem on the reef with Summerwind, Vizcaino declined to comment further: ``That's our position. That's our quote.'' Greene bought Summerwind in 2003, registering it in the Marshall Islands, a well-known tax haven.
The yacht has traveled across the world, hosting Greene, family members and celebrities, including Lindsay Lohan. He brought it to Nantucket last weekend to crash a meeting of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee where only his Democratic rival, Kendrick Meek, had been invited to speak.
Summerwind -- like a 14-story building turned on its side -- accommodates about 10 guests in five suites.
Greene boasted to Forbes in 2008 that he practically stole it for $6 million in 2002. It may have been a bargain purchase price, but it costs about $100,000 to fill up the tank on Summerwind, which burns about 50 gallons of fuel per hour.
Like a second home, such luxury yachts often are docked well away from their owners when not in use, which appears to be what happened in this case.
In Belize, the chief environmental officer of the Department of Environment, Martin Alegria, thumbed through a two-volume file on the Summerwind case in response to questions from The St. Petersburg Times. The case remains officially open, Alegria said in a phone interview, and if Greene or the Summerwind's then-captain returns to Belize they face fines of up to $1.87 million, given the amount of reef damage caused.
Belize became much tougher on those who harm or pollute the 175-mile reef after the Summerwind incident occurred, Alegria said, but at the time local authorities failed to seize passports or press charges before Summerwind left.
LARGE GASH
Billy Leslie, president of the San Pedro Tourist Guide Council in Belize, said he saw the damage soon after the incident and closely followed the investigation.
Summerwind's anchor caused a swath of destruction on the living reef 50 feet by 200 feet, he said.
``It was a very big deal at the time, but the police made mistakes in that they didn't apprehend anyone soon enough,'' he said. Summerwind representatives ``were very clear they were willing to pay to get this resolved, but by the time the order finally came to apprehend someone, they had taken off and never paid a penny.''
Various news accounts at the time said the yacht's captain was interrogated but after several days passed without further action, Summerwind took off.
``My recollection is that the vessel was manned with the permanent crew at the time of the reported incident and that there were no guests onboard. The captain at the time had indicated to me that he had cooperated fully with the local authorities, including making a formal statement at a local police station,'' said Rupert Connor, who at the time worked as Greene's yacht manager. The boat left Belize as it was scheduled to, he said, ``and my office received no notification from the Belize authorities of any claim against the vessel or its environmental insurance policy.''
`A LOST CAUSE'
Alegria, Belize's chief environmental enforcement officer, said he may take a closer look at the case now that it has been brought to his attention, but in 2005 the matter effectively ended when Greene's yacht left.
``It's still an open case, but it was a lost cause after they left Belize,'' said Alegria, noting that Belize authorities have been much more successful punishing people responsible for major reef destruction in recent years.
No, but their are reef propogation experts.
Lindsay Lohan appears on deck of 'The Summerwind' wearing a black, cut-away, one-piece swim suit.
http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2010/07/jeff_greene_lies_about_lindsay.php
Jeff Greene Doesn't Think Lindsay Lohan Pictures Are Important
By Kyle Munzenrieder, Fri., Jul. 9 2010
Couldn’t that help his candidacy?
Do these people actually do anything with a damaged reef? It seems to me that there isn’t much that could be done other than try and ensure that whatever damaged the reef is prevented from damaging it again. Other than that I would guess (and I am certainly ignorant about such things) that the best thing to do would be to leave the thing alone and allow it to grow back.
Repair the damage? With what, a coral patch kit from Lowes?
I don’t know what the damage is so I have no idea what is required.
Why don’t you fly down there and advise us? Otherwise, don’t be silly.
He should repair damage he caused, but your point is taken. Hypocrites.
“Millionaires like Ross Perot are used to getting their way. A case in point: In 1985 the Texas businessman bought two vacation homes in Bermuda, one for himself, one for his son. He hired a local firm to add swimming pools, verandas and air conditioning to both houses. Perot also set about finding a way to dock his 68-ft. cabin cruiser, the Chateau Margaux, at his doorstep.
Unfortunately, Perot’s preferred anchorage in Castle Harbour is filled with species of marine life that are protected by environmental laws. On June 4, 1986, Bermuda’s Ministry of the Environment ruled against Perot’s plan to build a dock and boathouse in front of one of his houses, because “substantial dredging” would be needed to bring his boat close to shore. Faced with that denial, Perot’s contractors realized that any similar request for permission to cut a channel in a nearby coral reef would probably be nixed as well. A week later, without filing for a permit, Perot’s construction team blew up a section of the reef near his house.”
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