PHILIPSBURG:--- Shops in the designated area of Philipsburg may open from 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on St. Maarten’s Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day under a holiday exemption announced by Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunication Grisha Heyliger-Marten.

The exemption applies on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, Friday, December 25, 2026, and Friday, January 1, 2027. The ministry’s notice includes a map outlining the designated area in green, covering the downtown shopping district along Front Street and Back Street.

The ministry cited cruise ship calls scheduled for all three holidays. It said the exemption is intended to improve the visitor experience and support holiday business activity. Shops that choose to open must comply with all applicable labor regulations.

The National Ordinance on Shop Closure requires businesses, including stand-alone casinos and lottery establishments, to close on the three public holidays unless an exemption applies.

Businesses already permitted to operate

Article 3 of the ordinance allows the following businesses to operate under its existing rules:

• Pharmacies, for sales of medicines and medical products
• Bars and restaurants
• Hotels and guesthouses
• Shops in hotels, at the airport and on harbor premises
• Funeral parlors
• Gas stations
• Bakeries selling pastries, milk or milk products

The MP asks who authorized the traveler’s release, on what grounds, and whether the person remains in St. Maarten. He also calls on police to bring those responsible for a reported weekend shooting to justice.

PHILIPSBURG:--- MP Lyndon Lewis used Monday’s parliamentary meeting to demand answers after a traveler reportedly found with three firearms at Princess Juliana International Airport was arrested, questioned and released. He questioned whether the traveler received the same treatment another person in the same circumstances would have received and said he had written to the Chair of Parliament and the Minister of Justice seeking an explanation.

Speaking on November 9, Lewis said the circumstances led him to ask, “if we really do have class justice in this country.” He said the traveler was reportedly well known on Saba and argued that an ordinary traveler who arrived at the airport with even one firearm could expect serious consequences, including if the person said it was a mistake.

“We’re not talking about one firearm,” Lewis said. “It’s alleged it’s three firearms.”

Lewis said he was seeking answers about the arrest, the release and the firearms. He also asked whether the traveler had left St. Maarten or was still on the island while the investigation continued.

“We do not need to know the details of the investigation,” Lewis said. “They have to tell us something.”

The Prosecutor's Office's central question is why it decided to release the traveler. Who authorized it, what considerations informed it, and did they impose any conditions? Lewis’s remarks raised the issue of equal treatment. The Prosecutor’s Office did not disclose its reasoning or any conditions attached to the release during the parliamentary exchange.

Lewis challenges assurances on crime

Lewis also raised the reported shooting of a Chinese businessman over the weekend, while cautioning that he did not have all the details. The Police Force of St. Maarten said it was investigating a shooting during a suspected robbery on L.B. Scott Road. SMN News confirmed that the victim was a Chinese national who was at home during the invasion.

The MP challenged ministers' assurances that crime was not increasing and urged police to pursue those responsible and bring them to court. His remarks raised two separate questions for the authorities: what police are doing to investigate violent incidents and how prosecutors explain decisions in cases that draw public concern.

Addressing officers directly, Lewis urged them to continue serving the country and take every lawful step to make arrests and bring offenders to justice. His comments on the weekend shooting were a call to action. The parliamentary exchange did not establish a broader crime trend or identify the perpetrators.

MPs congratulate athletes and honor a retiring civil servant

Lewis also congratulated Isaiah Douzon and the other young athletes who represented St. Maarten. MP Dimar Labega said a 25-member delegation earned four medals at the 34th OECS Swimming Championships in Saint Lucia. Douzon won what Labega described as St. Maarten’s first OECS swimming gold, taking first place in the boys’ 11–12 50-meter breaststroke and silver in the 100-meter breaststroke. Mila van Baalen and Stella Dordovic each earned bronze, Labega said.

Labega also congratulated the Dream Warriors girls’ softball team for winning the under-14 championship in Curaçao and the 37ers youth baseball team for finishing second at the Aruba Baseball and Softball in Paradise tournament. He credited the athletes, coaches, parents, and supporters, including those who helped raise funds for the Dream Warriors’ trip. He said the results underscored the need for a national sports strategy and stronger support for national teams.

MP Sarah A. Wescot-Williams joined in congratulating the athletes and paid tribute to Catherine Connor, who retired on her birthday after 40 years in government service, including in the finance administration. Wescot-Williams recalled working with Connor in the Finance Department and renewed her call for government to draw on experienced civil servants’ expertise while recruiting younger staff to fill vacancies.

MP Franklin Meyers congratulated the swimmers and softball players and called for government recognition of Juanito Fortuno, a St. Maartener living in New York. Meyers credited Fortuno with supporting Carnival since 1984 and bringing three U.S. teams to the weekend softball tournament. He said the U.S. teams won the 40-and-over and 60-and-over divisions, while St. Maarten won the 50-and-over division.

MP Francisco Lacroes urged government, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, and Parliament to find more ways to fund sports organizations throughout the year. The chair congratulated the athletes on behalf of Parliament and encouraged residents to support the national men’s football team in its home match against Anguilla.

PHILIPSBURG:---  The Court of First Instance has confirmed a St. Maarten woman’s ownership of the land where she has lived for years, while deferring a decision on a second parcel she had set aside for her daughter. Both lots form part of a larger property still registered in the name of a deceased owner.

In a ruling delivered June 23, 2026, and published November 9, Judge L.J. Saarloos found that the heirs who attended the June 10 hearing agreed the home parcel should be registered in the woman’s name. The representative for the absent defendant heirs confirmed their agreement. The court noted that other heirs had also been allocated parcels within the larger tract where they live.

The court ordered the defendants to cooperate in the transfer before a notary chosen by the woman within 14 days of service and/or publication of the judgment. If any defendant fails to cooperate within that period, the judgment can stand in place of the required consent, deed, or other legal steps. The court made that part of its ruling immediately enforceable.

Heirs contest claim to second parcel

The woman also sought ownership of a second parcel, saying in her filing that she had long possessed it. At the hearing, she said she had set it aside for her daughter. A foundation had already been laid, but construction stopped after heirs objected.

The heirs argued that the second lot remains part of the estate and should be divided among all the heirs. They said the woman’s daughter is not an heir and has no claim to the parcel. The court deferred its decision and scheduled the case for August 18, 2026, for the defendants to file a written response. The heirs were expected to propose how to divide the parcel, with the woman given an opportunity to respond.

The case was filed in January 2022 and put on hold after the court found that some heirs named in the filing had not been summoned. The court reopened the case in 2025.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Joint Court of Justice has upheld a ban on short-term vacation rentals at three villas in the Sardinia Yacht Club residential community in Lowlands. The court clarified that the properties may be rented for three months or longer and that listings for those stays can appear on platforms such as Airbnb and VRBO.

The ruling, delivered October 21 and published November 4, largely upheld a February 2023 judgment against J-C Watches Limited and Ocean Mall Private Fund Foundation. The case turned on residential-use restrictions in the deeds governing the three villas.

Neighbors complained of noise and traffic

Two homeowners whose villa sits between the rental properties brought the case. They said large groups of visitors generated noise and litter, while taxis, caterers, and cleaning crews added to the disturbance. The three villas had been advertised separately and together on Airbnb and VRBO. A combined listing offered space for up to 26 guests and advertised services including a private chef and event planning.

The court reviewed video recordings and visited the properties in August 2024. It found the homeowners had a concrete interest in enforcing the restrictions, even though the villas were no longer rented to large groups after the lower court ruling and fewer disturbances were being reported.

Original rental program did not carry over to later owners

The appellants argued that the developer had conceived the community as a vacation villa project, with a rental pool intended to help owners recoup their investments. They also said previous owners had given them permission to rent.

The judges found that the original rental agreements were neither incorporated into nor adequately referenced in the deeds. The court also found that the deed language allowing rentals on terms agreed between buyer and seller referred to the developer and the original buyers. The original rental pool had long since ceased operating.

The court held that leases of at least three months qualify as residential use under the deeds. It added that exception to both the order restricting use of the villas and the order requiring the removal of rental listings.

The court also upheld the dismissal of the appellants’ counterclaims over alterations to the neighbors’ property. It ordered J-C Watches and Ocean Mall to pay Cg 6,279.50 in appeal costs, with statutory interest if they fail to pay within two weeks of formal service of the judgment. A separate appeal over whether penalties accrued under the 2023 orders remains pending.