Virgin Islands Attorney General Gordon Rhea is pushing back against suggestions that his recent opinion affirming the validity of the Summer’s End Marina permit in Coral Bay was politically motivated, saying his conclusions were based strictly on law — not pressure from Government House.
In a public statement issued Thursday, Rhea called recent insinuations that his legal opinion had been influenced by outside forces “simply untrue.”
“I was asked by Government House to provide a legal opinion concerning the applicability of statutory deadlines to contingent coastal zone permits that require approval from the Federal Government,” Rhea said. “The resulting opinion was researched and drafted by an experienced attorney in DOJ’s Solicitor General’s Division, reviewed by the Solicitor General, and then reviewed by me before being issued and forwarded to Government House.”
Rhea emphasized that neither the governor nor his staff sought to influence the outcome. “At no time has anyone from Government House suggested or implied what my conclusions should be,” he said. “The law is the law, and my job is to state it clearly and correctly.” He added that Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. “has always respected my independence in this regard.”
The statement follows a week of scrutiny over Rhea’s opinion, which was first disclosed Monday by Government House Communications Director Richard Motta Jr. during a press briefing. According to Motta, the attorney general concluded that the five-year-old Major Coastal Zone Management permit for the Summer’s End Marina remains valid and has not expired.
“Specifically, he clarified that the 12-month commencement deadline outlined in Title 12 of the Virgin Islands Code, under subsection 910, does not begin until all federal approvals are secured,” Motta said Monday. “This interpretation provides certainty where there had been questions as of late, and it confirms that the Summer’s End permit has not lapsed. Nor has it expired.”
Motta said the opinion means the permit will remain active pending final clearances from agencies like the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, after which the developers can proceed with construction.
The opinion comes just months after a contentious Senate debate over the controversial project. In July, lawmakers voted 9–3 to reject a request from Gov. Bryan to ratify the same permit, which had been issued in 2019 and remained tied up in litigation and procedural challenges. Several senators argued that the governor’s proposal appeared to sidestep the Coastal Zone Management process, while others said the project’s lengthy delay had already invalidated its authorization.
During Monday’s briefing, Motta said the attorney general’s interpretation “reassures our community, our developers, and our federal partners that this project continues on a lawful and transparent path,” and that it “underscores our administration’s commitment to striking the right and appropriate balance between progress and preservation.”
Rhea’s statement on Thursday reinforced that distinction. While his analysis may clear a key legal hurdle for the Summer’s End developers, he said his role is to interpret the law — not weigh the political or environmental implications of the project.
“The Attorney General’s opinion that I have issued concerning the Summer’s End permit represents my office’s carefully considered legal analysis, and I stand by it,” Rhea said.
As federal reviews continue, the question of when — or whether — Summer’s End will break ground remains open. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has yet to issue its final permit, which would authorize work in the Coral Bay Harbor.
St. Croix Source
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