Jemal Hawker's phone rang off the hook with congratulatory calls after then-Premier Dr. Ewart Brown announced that Government was backing plans for a water park at Morgan's Point.

Unfortunately for Mr. Hawker, Dr. Brown's announcement had nothing to do with the plans he and his partner Ron Wenting had been working on for the past three years. "Our jaws hit the floor," Mr. Hawker said. "This was not our proposal, it was someone else's."

Despite the idea being repeatedly praised by Government, they were told no land was available, he said.

But on Tuesday during a media address to release third quarter tourism statistics, Dr. Brown announced a proposal by Bermuda Family Entertainment Ltd. to build a water park at Morgan's Point. Dr. Brown released a few early sketches and plans but said the project was still very early in development.

Randy Drew and Sherman Brown were both named as the site's developers.

Mr. Drew is the President of Florida-based PARC Management, which operates dozens of water parks in North America.

Attorney Kevin Bean recently filed an application to incorporate a limited liability company called Parc Management (Bermuda), but as of press time Mr. Bean has not been reached to confirm if the new company would be involved in the park's development.

Mr. Hawker said he was stunned by the announcement.

"We have put at least $100,000 and at least three years of our lives into this," he said.

"In the past 12 months, my partner and I have networked and secured resources both in Bermuda and abroad.

"We have had countless meetings to discuss our plans with and seek assistance from private parties, Wedco and Government officials including Glenn Blakeney.

"We left each meeting with a brighter hope for our project due to the reception received. However, we were often told that while the idea was innovative and a must for Bermuda, there was no land available."

Mr. Wenting said: "We started off wanting to go with either St. David's or Morgan's Point, but we decided against St. David's because of security issues.

"We were at one point talking about Dockyard, but there's no earth there, just concrete."

They said the park that they had proposed required three or four acres of land initially, but they would also need room to expand. Included in the plans were multiple water slides and a go-kart course.

"Our project, in some aspects, brought around the same results but using less land as well as including or addressing many of the ideas, suggestions and concerns raised by the people of Bermuda in their comments to me," Mr. Hawker said.

"While we did not expect to be guaranteed the granting of this proposal, we are shocked at the utter disregard of our plans that have been brought to them over the course of the last three years."

They said they hoped Government would, in the interest of fairness, put the development of a water park out to tender.

"We recognise that in doing so we may not have been promised the grant, but at least we would know that we had a fair opportunity to present this plan to the Government and the people of Bermuda.

"At the end of the day, if this was done fairly, we would at least feel a sense of accomplishment. Unlike now, where we have to assume it was completely pointless.

"If we don't succeed, that's OK, but give us a chance."