“Captain Dino never had a vending license”

GREAT BAY – Captain Dino Arrundell never had a vending license to operate his chicken shack on the parking lot at Kim Sha Beach, the ministry of tourism and economic affairs said in answer to questions from this newspaper about the closure of the popular hangout.

“Mr. Arrundell used the vending license of another person who has not been residing in St. Maarten since 2015,” the ministry said. “The facts surrounding the license Mr. Arrundell is using became evident when he was asked to relocate from the location to allow the construction of the public parking lot. Arrangements were made for that relocation but then it was discovered that the vendor did not meet the requirements. In fact the vendor did not and still does not have a vending license,” according to the ministry.

The income derived from a vending license must be the main source of income for an applicant, the ministry points out. Vendors are required to have the Dutch nationality and have to be registered in St. Maarten for at least two years – or for at least ten years if they are not a Dutch national.

The closure of Captain Dino’s place could be the first of a series: “As government aims to improve its operation and the inspection units continue to do their work violations of this kind will be handled accordingly,” the ministry said.

Parliament is currently handling the draft law administrative enforcement. “That will facilitate handling these matters much easier and avoid involving the already overloaded court system with these types of cases,” the ministry said.

Photo caption: Captain Dino’s chicken shack on Kim Sha Beach has been closed down. Photo Today / Hilbert Haar