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46-404: Administratively, the bank and its islands are part of Bimini district of The Bahamas , the main islands of which are 150 km (93 mi) to the north. The closest point of any other named Bahamian land to the bank is Orange Cay ( 24°56′24″N 79°08′45″W  /  24.94000°N 79.14583°W  / 24.94000; -79.14583  ( Orange Cay ) ), the southernmost island of

92-554: A "catastrophe" and announcing, "allowing Bimini Bay to continue with phase II would certainly strip this island paradise of its precious natural riches. Over time, visitors and residents alike will suffer the decline of economic, social and environmental prosperity." Districts of the Bahamas Local government in the Bahamas exists at two levels: 32 districts and 41 towns. The boundaries of districts are defined by

138-489: A number of the schedule local government functions. They also have statutory responsibility for local regulation and licensing within their jurisdiction. Third-schedule districts councils are unique within the Bahamas because they combine the responsibilities of the second-schedule districts and of the town committees. Both second- and third-schedule district councils carry out a building control function. (+1,000) Local government elections take place once every three years in

184-549: A resident of the islands, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. visited in 1964 and worked on his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech while there. South Bimini was home to Colonel Joseph C. Mackey, the founder of Mackey Airlines , which was later bought by Eastern Airlines. He built a home on the southern tip of South Bimini. This structure would become the Sunshine Inn and is currently a bar and restaurant, though

230-601: A road known as "The King's Highway". The second major road is called Queens Highway and runs almost the length of the island parallel to Kings Highway. As a low-lying island, rising sea levels may cause the entire island to become submerged. South Bimini (pop. 182) houses an airstrip, South Bimini Airport , and offers a quiet alternative to the slow bustle of North Bimini. There is a small community of homes on South Bimini known as Port Royale. For many years, South Bimini tourists were limited to boaters because there were few accommodations other than private homes. Because Bimini

276-456: A surface of 5,226.73 square kilometres (2,018.05 sq mi) it is one of the largest atolls of the world. Among the atolls with some land area (i.e. disregarding totally submerged atoll structures), Cay Sal Bank is second only to Great Chagos Bank . The lagoonal surface has a depth of 9 to 16 metres (30 to 52 ft). The individual islands (i.e. islets or cays) are 96 in number. Cay Sal Bank has numerous islets along its rim, except along

322-503: A system of local government everywhere in the Bahamas except New Providence (where Nassau the capital is located, whose affairs are handled directly by the central government). The current system dates from 1996 when 23 districts were created by The Bahamas Local Government Act of 1996 ; a further 9 have been added since 1999. Since the creation of the system, the question of local government for New Providence has been debated. The Minister responsible for Family Island Affairs has

368-417: Is a very common, fast-moving lizard on the island. The smalltooth sawfish ( Pristis pectinata ) is one of the rarest fish in the world, sometimes listed as a critically endangered species by conservation groups. The Bimini Biological Field Station (BBFS) has captured and recorded 13 species of sharks in the shallow waters around Bimini. However, the number of sharks around the island is higher, considering

414-456: Is close to Miami, Florida, many American anglers go to the islands by boat to fish or to enjoy the local nightlife. Scuba diving and snorkeling are also popular activities, as there are many shipwrecks in the area, such as the wreck of the SS ; Sapona , which ran aground in 1926 during a hurricane . The top of the ship is exposed to the air while the bottom half is submerged. Parts of

460-461: Is further sub-divided into two types of councils: two tier second-schedule district councils that have town committees within their jurisdiction, and unitary third-tier district councils. Second-schedule districts have the following statutory boards and committees : Town committees are sub-structures of the second-schedule district councils, but are also corporate bodies themselves. They share responsibility with second-schedule district councils for

506-402: Is overseen by the ministry's permanent secretary . Local government previously existed in the Bahamas in the form of appointed "Board of Works". Here towns and villages held their influence over these Board of Works, but almost all final decisions were made by the central government through that islands' Commissioner . The modern system of local government that is in use today was created by

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552-497: Is speculative in nature, and experts in various fields have opined across the full spectrum of explanation. The most contentious of these sites is Bimini Road . During the period of Prohibition in the United States , Bimini was a favorite haven and supply point for the rum-running trade. Some claim that the term " the real McCoy " was applied to the rum provided by William McCoy , who used Bimini to transport whiskey to

598-485: Is the westernmost district of the Bahamas and comprises a chain of islands located about 80 kilometres (50 mi) due east of Miami . Bimini is the closest point in the Bahamas to the mainland United States and approximately 210 km (130 mi) west-northwest of Nassau . The population is 2,417 as of the 2022 census. Bimini's largest islands are North Bimini, South Bimini, and East Bimini. Smaller islands in

644-403: The 8 March 1996 . The Out Islands of the country could now enjoy a somewhat greater degree of autonomy, but New Providence Island , in which the capital city Nassau is located, was to be directly governed by the central government. The Act defines the form of government in each district by listing it on either its Second Schedule or its Third Schedule. The Districts of the Bahamas provide

690-748: The City of Freeport has a slightly different list of enumerated powers. At the national level, local government policy is formulated and administered by the Department of Lands and Local Government through the Office of the Prime Minister . The day-to-day policy handling of the portfolio falls to the Minister of Local Government who also is empowered to modify the list and boundaries of districts. Administrative and financial management of local government

736-688: The Compleat Angler Hotel , was destroyed by fire. The bar is remembered for the photographs and memorabilia of Ernest Hemingway that lined its walls and were lost in the fire, which also took the life of owner Julian Brown. The final scene of the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs was shot in Alice Town. The movie's producers thanked the Bahamas Film Production Bureau as well as the district of Bimini in

782-505: The 1940s. The abandoned lighthouse was briefly reactivated during the 1970s, when the Royal Bahamas Defence Force set up a post on nearby Cay Sal Island to watch for drug smugglers. The small outpost on Cay Sal island included the only airstrip on Cay Sal Bank and was kept from the 1960s to late 1970s. Currently Cay Sal Bank is known for its many scuba diving spots, but good weather is needed in order to approach

828-533: The Bahamas with the most recent elections taking place on 27 January 2022. The 2020 elections were postponed due to COVID-19 until Emergency Power Orders were lifted. The voting system used in local government elections is the first-past-the-post system. Both councillors of third-schedule district councils and members of town committees are directly elected, while members of second-schedule councils are indirectly elected from town committees. Third schedule district councils have between five and nine members, whereas

874-511: The Bahamas, with the exception of New Providence, has a district council. A district council is a corporate body with perpetual succession ; capable of entering into contracts, of suing and being sued, of acquiring, holding, leasing and disposing of property of any description, and of doing all such things and entering into such transactions that are within the scope of the Local Government Act. District Councillors are elected by

920-561: The Bimini Chain. The distance between Orange Cay and the nearest dry land of Cay Sal Bank, the Dog Rocks, is 120 km (75 mi). The westernmost tip of Andros is the second closest point of land, approximately 145 km (90 mi) east of Cay Sal Bank. Cay Sal Bank is an atoll of roughly triangular shape, with a base along the south rim of 105 km (65 mi), and a width of 66 km (41 mi) north-south. With

966-555: The Bimini chain include Gun Cay, North Cat Cay, South Cat Cay, and Ocean Cay . The District of Bimini also includes Cay Sal Bank , more than 100 km (60 mi) further south, which is geographically not a part of the Bimini Islands but a separate unit. North Bimini is about 11 km (7 mi) long and 200 m (700 ft) wide. Its main settlement is Alice Town , a collection of shops , restaurants , and bars on

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1012-746: The Channel and the Placer de los Roques (Salt Keys), can already be found in Captain Francisco de Seixas y Lobera's old unpublished maps from 1692. Cay Sal Lighthouse , a tall stone lighthouse was built by the British on the island of North Elbow Cay in 1839 along with some small buildings. It marked the southern entrance to the Florida Straits from the Gulf of Mexico and was active until

1058-501: The First Schedule of The Bahamas Local Government Act 1996 (as amended by law and declarations of the Minister responsible for Family Island Affairs), defined with reference to parliamentary constituency boundaries. The Second Schedule lists 13 districts which are divided into town areas . Towns are governed by directly elected town committees. Second Schedule districts are governed by nine-person district councils composed of

1104-640: The House had acted unconstitutionally when it excluded Powell, a duly elected member. In 1972, Powell died of cancer in Miami. Following his funeral in New York, his ashes were taken to Bimini and scattered in the waters surrounding the islands. [1] There is rumor of the famed Chicano civil rights lawyer, Oscar Zeta Acosta , of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas fame potentially meeting his end after returning from

1150-614: The U.S. during Prohibition, although the phrase pre-dates the Prohibition Era, first recorded in the U.S. in 1908 – and the phrase is the subject of numerous fanciful folk etymologies . Chalk's International Airlines operated seaplane flights between Miami Harbor and the Bahamas from 1917, so the company was an island institution for generations. As goods on the island were expensive because of shipping costs, many locals used Chalk's flights to buy cheaper goods in Florida and take

1196-486: The chairs of the town committees, and if numerically required, additional people elected by the town committees. The 19 Third Schedule districts are unitary authorities which cannot be divided into towns. They are governed by nine-person district councils which are directly elected by voters. The powers of Second Schedule and Third Schedule councils are slightly different, and the Third Schedule district known as

1242-588: The conservation of the ocean's ecosystems. Located on South Bimini Island, it has done much research regarding the lemon shark . For elections to the Parliament of the Bahamas , it is part of the West Grand Bahama and Bimini constituency. Ernest Hemingway lived on Bimini from 1935 to 1937, staying at the Compleat Angler Hotel . He worked on To Have and Have Not and wrote a few articles, but mostly he fished aboard his boat Pilar , trolling

1288-594: The deep blue offshore waters for marlin, tuna and swordfish. Hemingway was attracted to Bimini by tales of the incredible fishing available in the Gulf Stream , the legendary “river” of warm water that rushes north past the Bahamas. An Atlantic blue marlin with a mass of 500 pounds (230 kg) caught off Bimini allegedly inspired Hemingway to write The Old Man and the Sea and Islands in The Stream . While not

1334-466: The end credits. Juan Ponce de León and his search for the Fountain of Youth included references to Bimini ("Beniny"). Arawak and/or Taíno spoke of a land called Beimini where the fountain could be found. Although the location was erroneously associated with the Bahamas, the natives referred to a location in the Gulf of Honduras . Although de León's expedition brought him to Florida, the fountain

1380-456: The features of the bank were replaced by English names when the Bahamas became a British Crown colony in the 18th century. Spanish navigators visited the area plotting it for the first time on a map in 1511 as Los Roques and it was mapped by subsequent cartographers often with its adjacent Placer . The atoll was subsequently claimed for the Spanish crown by Juan Ponce de León . The bank

1426-435: The goods to Bimini. A seaplane operated by Miami Airways ditched into the sea off the coast of Bimini on March 22, 1922. All five passengers subsequently drowned. A Grumman Turbo Mallard of Flight 101 was en route to Bimini when it crashed on December 19, 2005, killing all 18 passengers and two crew; at least 11 of the passengers were Bimini residents. On January 13, 2006, one of the more famous establishments in Bimini,

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1472-471: The hotel was damaged by a hurricane and was subsequently demolished. Among Port Royale's notable residents was Adam Clayton Powell Jr. , who was excluded from the U.S. House of Representatives because of allegations that he misappropriated committee funds for personal use. He stayed in Bimini from January 1967 to April 1969 in self-imposed exile until the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that

1518-411: The island of Bimini to Key Biscayne in 1974 during a failed attempt to smuggle drugs. According to the story told to Hunter S. Thompson, upon their boat nearly reaching the shoreline of the southern tip Key Biscayne, Acosta and his companions were ambushed when they suddenly found themselves surrounded by bright lights from boats that "appeared out of nowhere". Gunfire erupted and one of Acosta's companions

1564-405: The pool. Because this well was carved out of the limestone rock by ground water thousands of years ago, it is especially high in calcium and magnesium. Bimini is home to several unique, endemic and threatened species. The Bimini Boa ( Epicrates striatus fosteri ), protected by Bahamian law, is the largest of the terrestrial reptiles on Bimini. The Bimini Ameiva ( Ameiva auberi richmondi )

1610-575: The population of that district in accordance with Local Government Act . As stated in The Bahamas Local Government Act 1996 , Districts councillors shall within two weeks of their election, elect from among themselves a Chief Councillor. The Chief Councillor is the representative of a Districts Council for all affairs and presides over all meetings and also themselves co-ordinate these meetings. All districts councils are classed as first-schedule councils. The first-schedule

1656-527: The power to create one or more districts for all or part of New Providence by decree. As of the 1999 updates, the Second Schedule districts are: As of the 1999 updates, the Third Schedule districts are: There are 24 Supervisory Districts. (2022) (2022) ( parliamentary constituency in Freeport ) As of the 2022 local elections, the town areas of the Bahamas include: Every district in

1702-550: The reefs without danger. Ancient maps and nautical charts show Los Roques or Elbow Cays with or without the Placer or Pracel to the east. In the older maps the size of the cays and their adjacent bank was often exaggerated and merged with the Great Bahama Bank . 23°50′N 80°05′W  /  23.833°N 80.083°W  / 23.833; -80.083 Bimini Bimini / ˈ b ɪ m ɪ n iː /

1748-557: The sharks of the deep waters off Bimini's western shores. Along with the species featured below, the BBFS has witnessed and recorded captures of shortfin mako ( Isurus oxyrinchus ), bigeye thresher ( Alopias superciliosus ), spiny dogfish ( Squalus acanthias ), and sixgill ( Hexanchus sp.) sharks . The Shark Lab is a world-famous facility owned and operated by shark biologist Dr. Samuel Gruber . The Shark Lab offers internships in marine biology to people interested in shark research and

1794-474: The size of councils in both second-schedule councils and town committees varies according to population size. By elections are held whenever the need arises. A councillor is deemed to have resigned if they are absent for three consecutive meetings. For both types of district councils the Chief Councillors and their deputies are indirectly elected from amongst the elected officials. They serve for

1840-492: The smuggling attempt. This came to represent one of a number of possible Acosta sightings that Thompson had been told of, which he would term "buffalo sightings", from all around the world following Acosta's official disappearance in 1974 under suspicious circumstances. In May 1987, Colorado Senator Gary Hart 's presidential bid was derailed after media reports exposed a relationship with model Donna Rice . A well known photo of Rice sitting on Hart's lap on one of Bimini's docks

1886-412: The south side facing Nicholas Channel, where it has only rocky coral heads. It has a total of 96 islands, islets and rocks awash, with a total land area of 14.87 km (5.74 sq mi). The islands, rocks and reefs along the rim of the atoll are listed clockwise from southwest to southeast. There are also a number of smaller, unnamed cays or rocks. Some of the historical Spanish language names of

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1932-539: The wreck were stripped over the years and some of the wood was used in the construction of the Compleat Angler Hotel and bar on North Bimini. The first inhabitants on the island were the Lucayans , and the name Bimini means "two islands" or "the twins" in the Lucayan language. Bimini is home to several landmarks said to contain mystical properties of obscure origins. Much of the historical data about these places

1978-445: Was immediately killed by being shot in the head. Acosta, acting quickly, floored the boat's throttle and plowed into and over one of the ambusher's boats and, upon making it to shore, he grabbed a small suitcase likely containing drugs and ran off inland into the island. It is worth noting that the veracity of this story was deemed questionable by Thompson, as he had heard it secondhand from the individual whose boat Acosta had borrowed for

2024-642: Was published by the National Enquirer after Hart suspended his presidential campaign. Jody Weech, Miss Commonwealth Bahamas 1992, was from Bimini. She made the Top 10 in the Miss World contest in Sun City, South Africa. She received the title Miss World Caribbean. In May 2008 marine conservationist Jean-Michel Cousteau criticized Bimini Bay Resort, now Resorts World Bimini by Hilton, calling it

2070-628: Was rumored to exist within the shallow pools of South Bimini. Today there is a small freshwater well with a plaque commemorating the Fountain of Youth, on the road leading to the South Bimini Airport . Found within the brackish mangrove swamp that covers 6 kilometres ( 3 + 1 ⁄ 2  mi) of the shoreline of North Bimini is The Healing Hole , a pool that lies at the end of a network of winding tunnels. During outgoing tides, these channels pump cool, mineral-laden fresh water into

2116-532: Was under the Spanish rule for about two centuries until 1718 when the Bahamas became a Crown colony of the British Empire . In 1825 Alexander Von Humboldt highlighted that the 'Salt Cays' were a danger for navigation, but that the waters had been previously well charted by Francisco de Seixas in 1692: But such precise coordinates, so important for ships wishing to avoid Florida's sand bars in leaving

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