Freeport

Sister cities

• Winston-Salem
• Newark
• Concord

History

Freeport is a free trade zone on Grand Bahama Island, established in 1955 by the government of The Bahamas. The city of Freeport emerged from a land grant comprising of swamp and scrub to become a cosmopolitan centre. The Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) operates the free-trade zone, under special powers conferred by the government under the Hawksbill Creek Agreement, which was extended until August 3, 2054. The agreement also increased the land grants to . The Hayward and St. George families own the GBPA, which they have used to fund estates in Great Britain such as Dunmaglass, the purchase of the football club Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C., and to pay the multi-million dollar legal fees incurred due to disputes between the two families. Meanwhile, inheritance and contract disputes within the Hayward family has likewise incurred multi-million dollar fees. Bahamian politicians such as the FNM opposition leader Michael Pintard have described the legal dispute between the Haywards and St. Georges as damaging to Freeport's economy, while in March 2024 Prime Minister Philip Davis asserted that according to a PriceWaterhouseCoopers audit, the GBPA owes the Bahamian government US$357 million. As of August 2024, GBPA has not paid what the government of The Bahamas says is due. The city was severely impacted by Hurricane Dorian, which stalled above Grand Bahama for 12 hours, caused storm surges between 12 and 18 feet above normal, killed eight people in Grand Bahama, and destroyed up to thirteen thousand homes.

Geography

Freeport is located just off the coast of Palm Beach, Florida, and on the major EW–NS shipping routes. This has positioned it as an ideal centre for international business. Consequently, a growing number of international companies use Freeport as a business site. Parks include the Rand Nature Centre, named after its founder James Rand; Petersons Cay, a small isle about 300 yards off the shore of Grand Bahama; and the Lucayan National Park founded by Peter Barratt, a former architect and town planner of Freeport. The Lucayan National Park is in extent and includes five ecological zones stretching from the south shore to the pineyard. There is an extensive underwater cave system beneath the park. One cave entrance is accessible by stairs at the national park, while other caves are accessible for certified scubas.

Most-observed species

• Northern Mockingbird

  Mimus polyglottos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,741
• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  2,903
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  2,550
• White-crowned Pigeon

  Patagioenas leucocephala (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,475
• Palm Warbler

  Setophaga palmarum (J.F.Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  2,086
• Common Ground-Dove

  Columbina passerina (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,005
• American Redstart

  Setophaga ruticilla (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,909
• Eurasian Moorhen

  Gallinula chloropus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,815