The Fairmont Southampton, Bermuda’s largest hotel, made the headlines in November when a special development order was published in the Official Gazette.

The statutory instrument was gazetted on November 20, more than two years after Walter Roban, the former Minister of Home Affairs, approved the order.

Diallo Rabain, the Minister of the Cabinet Office and Digital Innovation, said the order finalises what was already approved.

The order allows for more than 250 units to be built on the resort property between two and four storeys high.

Mr Rabain said 641 people, including 24 local contractors, have worked on the redevelopment.

He explained: “Once the hotel is fully ramped up, I anticipate them employing close to 700 staff, and the Government is committed to seeing them hire as many qualified Bermudians as possible.”

Jarion Richardson, the Shadow Minister of the Cabinet Office and Digital Innovation, said the One Bermuda Alliance supports the project. But he added: “That does not mean giving the Government a blank cheque to overdevelop one of Bermuda’s most iconic sites, or to sideline the very planning rules and professionals it once praised.”

Mr Richardson urged Mr Rabain to publish an explanation of every change to the SDO since 2023 — including road realignments, heights and conservation areas — “and allow sufficient time for the public and Parliament to scrutinise it”.

Tourism was also in the news when a visitor who went out for a morning kayak was found several miles off course more than 24 hours later.

Hyoung Park, a South Korean national, was seen heading east on the kayak near the Reefs Resort & Club, where he was staying with his family, at about 11.45am on November 4. He was reported missing the same day.

Police and members of the Royal Bermuda Regiment Coastguard searched along Bermuda’s shorelines, but called off the search at 8pm owing to darkness and high winds.

A US Coast Guard aircraft conducted night-time searches and covered about 270 square miles without spotting Mr Park.

The search for the 57-year-old continued on November 5, but the C130 aircraft spotted him and the missing kayak 26 miles south of Bermuda at 1.42pm the same day.

Mr Park boarded the gas tanker Aktoras and arrived back on dry land on board the pilot boat St George at about 8pm.

Belco also made the headlines when it announced plans to offer staff voluntary redundancy.

Wayne Caines, president of Belco and its parent Liberty Group, said the decision came after a review “examined our organisational structure, operating models and processes to identify opportunities for greater efficiency and to reduce our operating expenses”.

He explained: “As part of this process, Belco is offering a voluntary separation package to employees.”

Mr Caines added: “This voluntary approach shows a commitment to making balanced and transparent decisions that require shared sacrifice across the organisation, while providing options and support to our team members during this period of transition.”

November also saw the unwelcome discovery of red imported fire ants, one of the most destructive invasive species in the world.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources said three mounds of the insects were located in Hamilton Parish and treated to eradicate the colonies.

The DENR said the ants are “known to cause significant ecological and agricultural damage, disrupt electrical and communication infrastructure, and pose risks to human health”.

It added: “Their stings produce painful burning sensations, followed by small white blister that can persist for several days.”

A trash truck fell down an embankment in Paget, just east of the traffic lights, on November 3.

The Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service helped remove the male driver and two other men from the truck after the crash, which has gone unexplained, occurred at about 1.35pm.

The men were taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital to be treated for injuries that were not described as serious, but the truck was extensively damaged.

Part of South Road was reduced to one lane of traffic so a crane could safely remove the vehicle from the embankment.

Heading into the new year, the crash site had yet to be repaired.