Turks and Caicos, October 31, 2026 – Once again, I feel compelled to put pen to paper on this matter.  You don’t expect to slam your brakes in paradise.  But in Grand Turk, it’s becoming routine.

Donkeys roam along roadsides, darting into traffic, while packs of dogs linger around neighborhoods.  Tourists and residents alike face dangerous encounters with animals that, while symbolic of Grand Turk’s identity, now pose very real threats to public safety and themselves.

I’ve had near misses myself, and I’m not alone. This is no longer simply an island charm issue; it’s an unfolding dilemma that demands attention.

Grand Turk has a long history of romanticizing its animals. Donkeys, once essential to the island’s salt trade in the 1800s, are now part of its distinctive character. Yet neither they nor the growing population of free-roaming dogs are being adequately managed.

Estimates place the donkey population at around 500 on an island measuring just 10.5 square miles, with approximately 4,000–5,000 residents and tourist numbers that can double on cruise ship days. Add dogs that are quasi-owned—fed occasionally out of pity or when they wander onto someone’s property, but rarely properly cared for or contained—and the scale of the problem becomes clearer.

Feeding a dog occasionally is not the same as taking responsibility for it. The same applies to owners who fail to provide adequate fencing, allowing their dogs to roam freely through neighborhoods and onto public roads. Responsible ownership requires more than occasional feeding; it means ensuring an animal’s welfare while protecting the wider community.

Tourists may marvel at roadside donkeys or follow a friendly dog to the beach. But they don’t necessarily witness the accidents, injuries, property damage, and scattered garbage. Nor do they see how open grazing areas are disappearing beneath roads, homes, and new developments.

So, whose space is it now? Are the animals invading ours, or are we gradually taking theirs, leaving less vegetation for them to feed on?

This is not simply a debate about animals. It is about responsibility, planning, and public safety.

Grand Turk’s Department of Agriculture faces a challenging predicament. The Turks & Caicos Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TCSPCA) does what it can, but without adequate funding and government support, its capacity remains limited. Volunteers continue to step forward, yet goodwill alone cannot resolve a problem of this magnitude.

There are several suggestions from avid Hooves & Paws TCI volunteers: Establish satellite watering holes away from high-traffic areas, properly maintain existing ones, or explore the creation of a donkey sanctuary etc.

We have recently welcomed the long-awaited arrival of a full-time veterinarian, but that alone is not enough. Support vehicles, appropriate facilities, and equipment for the safe and humane capture and treatment of animals are also essential.

There is another uncomfortable question that deserves an answer: Is the Department investing in the training and resources needed for the humane euthanasia of severely injured animals when recovery is no longer possible, rather than leaving police officers to resort to shooting them?

There may be emergencies in which officers must act immediately to protect human life. However, emergency responses should not replace a properly funded animal management programme. Severely injured animals deserve a humane, professional response, with veterinary guidance wherever circumstances permit.

We have also heard concerning reports of animal mutilation. Such reports warrant serious attention and, where appropriate, proper investigation. Animal welfare must be part of this conversation, not an afterthought.

If Grand Turk wants to preserve its Beautiful by Nature identity, it needs more than slogans. It needs enforcement, practical solutions, and a willingness to acknowledge that some animals are suffering while others pose genuine dangers to residents and visitors.

No one wants to strip the island of its character. Donkeys, dogs, horses, cows, and even the occasional roaming of goats or roosters contribute to the experience that makes Grand Turk memorable. But when charm becomes a hazard and beauty collides with danger, it is time to stop romanticizing the situation and start organizing around solutions.

There is no single, perfect answer. But continuing to do too little only increases the risk of more accidents, more suffering, and further damage to the environment we claim to cherish.

The wild can still be free, and humans and animals can coexist. But that balance requires responsible ownership, humane treatment, effective enforcement, adequate resources, and government leadership.

This administration must work alongside local volunteers, expatriate residents, animal welfare organizations, and the private sector to develop sustainable strategies before neglect leads to irreversible consequences.

Grand Turk’s animals are part of our heritage. Protecting that heritage means protecting the animals, the people who share this island with them, and the visitors who come here expecting paradise.

Ed Forbes

NTSB examining roadside assistance driver’s actions, SUV speed and seat belt use after six people perish in fiery collision

ORLANDO, FLORIDA — October 29, 2026 — Federal investigators have joined the investigation into a horrific Florida Turnpike collision that claimed six lives, including all three children of a Bahamian mother, as questions intensify over what caused the deadly crash.

The United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has confirmed that it is opening an investigation into the October 23 accident, which occurred around 9:31 p.m. near mile marker 252 in Orange County.

The agency’s involvement brings federal scrutiny to a tragedy that has devastated several families and prompted an extraordinary outpouring of sympathy and disbelief.

Among those killed were siblings Charles Milton, Jakara Milton and Dalvena Green, the three adult children of Marshall Clarke-Milton and her husband, Charles Milton Sr.

The siblings were traveling with three others to Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights, reportedly on their first trip together.

They never arrived.

FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS EXAMINE WHAT WENT WRONG

The NTSB confirmed to FOX 35 Orlando that its investigation will examine the training and performance of the roadside assistance driver, the actions of the SUV driver, including speed, and whether the occupants were wearing seat belts.

The agency investigates serious transportation accidents to identify safety failures and recommend measures that could prevent similar tragedies.

Its involvement does not establish wrongdoing by either driver.

The Florida Highway Patrol is conducting a separate investigation into the collision.

According to the preliminary police account, a Road Ranger roadside assistance truck had been parked in the highway median before its driver received instructions to assist a disabled box truck on the opposite shoulder.

As the Road Ranger moved across the northbound lanes, it collided with a 2023 Chevrolet Traverse carrying six adults.

Both vehicles left the roadway and caught fire.

All six occupants of the SUV died at the scene. The Road Ranger driver survived with minor injuries.

MOTHER CHALLENGES EARLY ACCOUNT

Witnesses reportedly told investigators that the SUV was traveling at high speed without its headlights illuminated.

However, those observations have not been established as the definitive cause of the collision.

Clarke-Milton has challenged suggestions that her children or their companions were responsible, urging investigators to examine the evidence before reaching conclusions.

She wants investigators to establish the SUV’s actual speed and determine whether its headlights were operating.

The family’s concerns underscore the importance of the continuing investigations, particularly given the movement of the roadside assistance vehicle across active highway lanes.

ALL THREE CHILDREN LOST

For Clarke-Milton, the investigation unfolds against an almost incomprehensible personal tragedy.

She lost all three of her children simultaneously.

In an emotional interview with FOX 35 Orlando, the grieving mother described the terrible feeling that overcame her when she could not reach them.

“My heart sank,” she said, recalling the moment she feared her children were involved.

The siblings were among six people whose lives ended during what should have been an enjoyable evening together.

The other victims included Timothy Williams and Shawn Palmer. A sixth person’s identity had not been publicly confirmed in the latest reports reviewed.

The family’s heartbreak has resonated across The Bahamas and beyond, with expressions of sympathy accompanying calls for answers.

SEARCH FOR ANSWERS CONTINUES

The Florida Highway Patrol has indicated that a crash report is expected within approximately ten days of the accident.

The NTSB’s investigation will examine broader transportation safety concerns, including the operation of roadside assistance vehicles and the circumstances surrounding the collision.

For the grieving families, the findings cannot reverse the tragedy.

But they may establish what happened on that stretch of Florida’s Turnpike and whether anything could have prevented six people from losing their lives.

For one Bahamian mother, the loss is especially devastating.

Three children left for an evening of entertainment. Not one came home.

Turks and Caicos – Caribbean Supercharged Service, Learning & Leadership workshops were enjoyed by professionals from Grace Bay Car Rentals, a local sponsor, alongside a Heavy Machinery Rental Company, a Paint retailer, 8 resorts, a luxury villa management enterprise and 3 TCHTA sponsored junior chefs, including Team TCI Junior Chef 2026, Zaliya Dickenson, who will complete at the Taste of the Caribbean in November for her country.

These workshops were the result of the longstanding partnership between the CHTA Education Foundation and their sponsor, Sandals Foundation, who support the Caribbean Supercharged programme on a different island every year. This year, the Turks & Caicos Hotel & Tourism Association (TCHTA) hosted the initiative to the delight of its members.

The workshops targeted new team members, seasoned professionals, managers and supervisors. Topics included Foundations & Finesse within Customer Interactions, Delivering Clear Expectations for Service Consistency and Making Memorable Moments.

Sandals Foundation was pleased to also sponsor chefs, cooks, stewards, warehouse & purchasing staff from 7 resorts and 2 high schools for an intensive HACCP Preparation & Pre-Requisites informational day, including international coursebooks, team training booklets and each person’s international assessment fee. The course is approved by the Royal Society for Public Health UK, earns Continuing Professional Development Credits, and is recognized globally as the leading Food Safety Management System.

Deryk Meany, General Manager, Beaches TCI, represented Heidi Clarke, Executive Director, Sandals Foundation at the 20 October Celebration with energy and passion for professional development and life-long learning in tourism to ever uplift and grow ourselves. He asked participants to ‘never stop learning! Today is a step upwards in your personal growth and that of the industry. We are never too old to learn, to share our experiences within training and grow”

Wesley Clerveau, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, gave spirited, positive inspiration and congratulations to the participants “Stayover arrivals in TCI have increased by 6% between January & June this year, we are hot! The place visitors wish to be, and your time, application and learning in each workshop is invaluable to us as a destination and to you as citizens and residents. I urge you to put what you have gained into practice immediately and keep applying yourselves; the more you upgrade, the more service elevates, the more we all succeed”

Karolin Troubetzkoy, Chairwoman, CHTA Education Foundation commented “Congratulations to everyone who participated in this year’s workshops, thank you for being fully engaged and making the most of your opportunity.

Special mention to the 8 past participants that we reunited with and are now working in leadership positions, BRAVO! We are delighted for you and encourage you to stay focused and keep shining and growing upwards.

It has been the Education Foundations honor to work closely with our sponsor Sandals Foundation and partner with TCHTA again to create Caribbean Supercharged positivity within each of you”.

Stacey-Ann Wharton, Vice President TCHTA, congratulated everyone present and stressed the TCHTA ongoing commitment to learning and development of members teams and management, along with special TCHTA scholarships for the HACCP session for 3 Junior Chefs, showing the Associations commitment to nurturing talent from High School upwards.

PHOTO CAPTIONS

First Insert: Wesley Clerveau, PS, Ministry of Tourism

Second Insert: Deryck Meany, GM Beaches TCI representing Sandals Foundation

Third Insert: Stacy-Ann Wharton, Vice President, TCHTA