Lee asked Gumbs: “Is VROMI stalling to get paid?" Gumbs responds with a reality check

GREAT BAY--In an honest and substantive exchange in the DCOMM Press Briefing on Wednesday, Minister of VROMI Patrice Gumbs used a question from Emil Lee of Island 92 Radio to explain the realities of his Ministry still operating with laws from 1935 to navigate 2026 St. Maarten, with his limited staff.

Lee stepped out of any comfort box on Wednesday and asked the Minister out loud what many have only gossiped about: Is the Ministry of VROMI stalling decisions in order for people to get pay to make a positive decision (waiting on a bribe) or is the Ministry system resilient against corruption and sensitive to timely decisions.

Lee framed his question simply: I’m hearing from people who submitted building permit applications and have been waiting a long time, even for simple steps like verifying an address so they can obtain a construction meter. I have also raised concerns about noise, hindrance, and ongoing issues in the Oyster Pond area, and these have yet to be addressed or responded to, and so questions are coming up."

The Minister immediately saw an opening, called the question "timely" and responded accordingly. "I think it's one of those things that's so timely in terms of is VROMI actually capable, ready, able to address the current St. Maarten we live in. And the answer is simply no."

Gumbs explained that St. Maarten’s permitting and inspection system is being forced to operate in a modern construction economy using a legal framework that dates back to 1935, creating structural delays, inconsistent workflows, and conditions that can increase the risk of improper decision-making.

According to the minister, the gap between the island’s current development reality and the country’s outdated building ordinance is now one of the biggest drivers of slow processing times and public frustration, especially when residents and contractors require approvals for projects that are far more complex than what the law envisioned nearly a century ago.

Minister Gumbs noted that the current building rules date to 1935 and were written for a vastly different St. Maarten, when most homes were single-story and basic by today’s standards. He pointed out that the existing ordinance does not reflect modern construction features now common across the island, including multi-story condominium buildings and systems such as centralized air conditioning.

He further highlighted a striking example of how outdated the legal framework is: the current building ordinance does not even require an indoor bathroom, a point he used to illustrate how disconnected the written requirements are from modern expectations and public health norms.

Volume, timelines, and staffing do not match

The minister explained that the law anticipates rapid decisions, including a one-month timeline, but that the administrative environment it assumes no longer exists. In 1935, the volume and complexity of builds were limited; today, VROMI is receiving about 50 to 60 permit applications per week, while a small technical team, estimated at five to six staff, is expected to review and approve modern designs that often include multiple disciplines and far greater technical requirements.

He said the mismatch between legal timelines, modern building demands, and current capacity means that ordinances, workflows, work methodologies, and practical realities are no longer aligned.

Minister Gumbs confirmed that VROMI is working to update the building ordinance, describing the reform as long pending and a key priority for the ministry going forward, particularly to improve efficiency and better support economic activity through timely decision-making.

He said policies introduced over time have attempted to bridge gaps in the outdated law, but that these policies also need to be aligned with each other so the system functions as one coherent framework, rather than a patchwork of workarounds.

Corruption risk is also about the system, not only individuals

In comments linking modernization to integrity, the minister said he raised the issue directly in a meeting held this morning with the Integrity Chamber of St. Maarten. He emphasized that corruption cannot be viewed only as a personal trait, integrity or no integrity, because the environment in which decisions are made can either support proper decision-making or create opportunities for abuse.

He said that improving systems, reducing bottlenecks, and modernizing workflows can mitigate the chances for corruption by limiting unnecessary discretion, improving traceability, and ensuring decisions are made within clear, updated standards.

He said VROMI is actively assessing how to move toward digital processes and the use of technology, including AI-supported tools, to help review and manage large volumes of documentation more efficiently.

He also outlined how the ministry is using a €1.4 million subsidy received through the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations to build capacity quickly. As part of that effort, the minister said eight persons are expected to come into the ministry in the coming weeks.

He explained that government hiring processes can take a long time, so VROMI has pursued a faster, legally grounded approach by working with Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labor, CSR support, and the Labor Department to bring in these personnel through a third-party arrangement, allowing the ministry to add capacity within roughly a month.

Address verification delays show wider government disconnect

The minister also addressed recurring complaints about slow address verification, describing it as a symptom of wider system disconnects across government. He explained that residents can be sent back and forth between the civil registry and VROMI when one system does not reflect what exists in another.

He gave an example where an address exists within VROMI records but is not reflected within the Civil Registry of St. Maarten, resulting in delays even when the request is routine. He also pointed to inconsistencies in how roads are recorded, where a road name in the cadastre may differ from the name used elsewhere, turning a simple verification into a drawn-out internal process.

To address this, Minister Gumbs said VROMI is working on an MOU with the Kadaster St. Maarten to improve alignment and speed up address-related processes.

Linking reform to economic development

The Minister added that government’s role is to support economic development through strong policies, and he connected VROMI’s reform agenda to broader concerns being raised publicly about whether government procedures and policy infrastructure have kept pace with St. Maarten’s growth. He referenced discussions occurring this week at a socioeconomic gathering hosted by Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication, noting that the island’s procedural and policy infrastructure needs modernization alongside physical infrastructure.

He said the ministry will continue taking steps to modernize laws, improve capacity, align systems across government, and strengthen the decision-making environment so that services are delivered faster, more consistently, and with reduced exposure to integrity risks.

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