Senate Advances Bill to Tackle Derelict Vehicle Problem in Virgin Islands

Bill 35-0403, sponsored by Sen. Frett-Gregory, seeks to address abandoned vehicles that devalue neighborhoods and pollute the environment, pushing for stricter regulations and enhanced enforcement

Senator Donna Frett-Gregory is hopeful that the eventual enactment of Bill 35-0403 will combat the “vexing issues that we have here in the territory with regaDrds to abandoned and derelict vehicles.” According to the outgoing St. Thomas senator who has worked on the draft bill for three and a half years, the measure intends to “reinstate Virgin Islands pride.” In her introduction of the bill on Tuesday, Frett-Gregory acknowledged that Senator-elect Avery Lewis had worked diligently to chip away at the derelict vehicle issue in St. Thomas, but opined that “we should not be utilizing government resources to focus on abandoned and derelict vehicles.”

“These eyesores are devaluing our neighborhoods,” she argued. The Legislature lamented that the current system of tagging vehicles for removal “is time-consuming.” Further, current law actually enables vehicle abandonment, Frett-Gregory argued. Bill 35-0403, she said, “attempts to close the loophole and simplifies the process.” “This is not a third-world country, and we need to ensure that it doesn't look like one,” she asserted.