TCI News
Breaking News: PDM All Island Member breaks ranks, asks to ‘sit somewhere else’ in House of Assembly
Grand Turk , Turks and Caicos Islands – March 15, 2018 – The PDM Administration has been accused of shutting one of its members out and it may lead to that parliamentarian breaking away completely from the governing party. Hon Josephine Connolly, an All Island Member of the House of Assembly has requested to be re-seated, as a matter of national interest, she said.
The second most popular ‘at large’ elected Member of Parliament today announced that she believes it is in the best interest of the country if she were to be removed from the backbench of the People’s Democratic Movement and given a new spot to sit.
Hon Connolly made the shocking statement which leaves the country wondering if the all island candidate who ran on the PDM ticket, will go independent or join the Progressive National Party as had been rumored. 
During House of Assembly session which is on in the Capital, Grand Turk today, Hon Connolly began her statement with an expression of disappointment in the progresses of the government in carrying out its legislative agenda.
With the Speaker trying to halt her comments, Hon Connolly, who last June had the Education, Youth, Sports and Library Services ministerial portfolio stripped from her, managed to get these words out…
“It has become increasingly difficult for me to align myself …”
House of Assembly Speaker, Hon Dwayne Taylor halted the comments on the premise that they were ‘ensuing a debate.’ The second all Island member resisted the characterization of her remarks but did pause.
Connolly was asked to take her seat and asked to cut off her microphone by the Speaker.
Eventually, the Member of Parliament was permitted to continue her statement, “Furthermore having regard to the fact that I am not privy to any prior discussions that greatly affect the lives of our beloved people nor extended the principles of respect outlined above, it is in the interest of this country that I sit somewhere else.”
Magnetic Media has reached out to Hon Josephine Connolly for a comment regarding the announcement and whether what she conveyed means she will also be leaving the PDM party. There has been no reply up to publication time.
It had long been contentious between Sharlene Robinson and Josephine Connolly, as both women had shown passionate interest in the leadership position of the PDM. While there had been some arrangement which put Connolly’s leadership dreams on hold, the simmering tension lingered and reared its head during a medical transfer matter which led to accusations of disrespect and several PDM emergency meetings. The situation also left Hon Josephine Connolly out of inner circle once her Cabinet position was revoked by Premier Sharlene Robinson. 
Connolly had shared in her own press conference following the ‘firing’ that she planned to remain on the PDMs side, still there was evidence that it was proving a difficult promise to keep as the tumultuous tone among the PDM elected party members did not subside.
Almost two million visitors recorded in 2025
PROVIDENCIALES, TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS – The Turks and Caicos Islands saw an increase in stayover arrivals in December, seven percent higher than the corresponding period in 2024.
Preliminary data suggests that stay over arrivals by air for the month of December was 66,427 in comparison to 62,610 in December 2024.
From January to December 2025, preliminary visitor arrival numbers totalled 640,754; on par with the number recorded for the same period of 2024.
Stay Over Arrivals YTD December 2024/2025
The first quarter of the calendar year attracted the largest number of arrivals with visitor arrivals three percent higher than the first quarter of 2024. Reduced airlift from the United Kingdom and the United States, most notably the Virgin Atlantic and JetBlue services, was however felt from the second quarter (April to June). As a result, visitor arrivals dropped three percent in the second quarter.
By the third quarter of this year (July to September), geopolitical and economic conditions in the key source markets, namely the United States, led to further contraction of arrivals. In the last quarter of 2025, arrivals were impacted in October due to the passage of Hurricane Melissa but additional airlift from the USA and Canada resulted in an increase in arrivals in November and December.
Mr. Paul Pennicook, Interim CEO Consultant of Experience Turks and Caicos, said December’s increase in stayover arrivals is an encouraging indicator of the sustained interest in the Turks and Caicos Islands as a premier destination.
“While we note and continue to monitor geopolitical shifts that affect us, Experience Turks and Caicos is focused on increasing marketing initiatives in our primary source markets. We have spent the last two years investing in groundwork such as crucial travel advisor training to assist them in selling the destination more effectively. In the next fiscal, we will be building on those initiatives with co-op activities with partners as well as out of home advertising to increase visitation to our destination,” he said.
In Cruise, the preliminary count of passenger arrivals for the month of December 2025 was 129,346, a 22 percent increase over last December. This growth follows the berthing of 11 additional ships in Grand Turk this month.
From January to December, the cruise sector continued to outperform the same period last year, as the 1.3 million total cruise passengers recorded, marks a five percent Year-on-Year increase. 
The cruise sector experienced significant growth in the first quarter of 2025, with passenger arrivals surpassing last quarter by 53 percent. In the second and third quarter however, several cruise lines adjusted their itineraries as vessels were pulled from the fleet or from the Caribbean region, which resulted in fewer passengers.
Arrivals dropped seven percent and 10 percent in the second and third quarters, respectively. Double digit growth was recorded in the last two months of Quarter 4. This growth however, was not sufficient to outweigh the drop in arrivals experienced in October, following the cancellation of cruise calls due to the passage of Hurricane Melissa. Despite the late-quarter rebound, arrivals for the final quarter of 2025 closed six percent below the same period in 2024.
News
The Department of Trade, Industry & Fair Competition to Host Export Readiness Workshop Under the theme “Empowering TCI Businesses for Local Growth and Global Markets.”
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands – Wednesday, 11 February 2026: The Informal Settlements Unit (ISU) coordinated a multi-agency enforcement operation on Thursday, 29 January 2026, led by the Planning Department, with support from the Crown Land
Unit, the Turks and Caicos Islands Border Force, and security provided by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force. The operation, carried out at three different locations in Providenciales, formed part of ongoing government efforts to address unauthorised development and illegal occupation of land in accordance with governing legislation.
The operation commenced in Blue Hills, where five Section 58 Enforcement Notices were issued on unauthorised structures identified on Block and Parcel 60502/48.
Enforcement activity then moved to a second location off the Leeward Highway near Caicos Lodge, where six Section 58 Enforcement Notices were issued on additional unauthorised structures on Block and Parcel 60802/66.
The final phase of the operation took place in The Bight, where three unauthorised structures were removed, with all debris cleared from the site in keeping with established safety and environmental protocols.
The Informal Settlements Unit remains committed to working alongside its partner agencies to support lawful development, protect public and private land, and ensure that planning regulations are enforced in a coordinated and transparent manner across the Turks and Caicos Islands. Similar joint operations will continue as part of the Government’s wider strategy to address unauthorised development and informal settlement activity.
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