How has Stephen Deckoff’s redevelopment plan for Little St. James progressed since the 2023 purchase?

1. The purchase and the public plan: immediate goals and timeline

Deckoff’s SD Investments paid roughly $60 million for Little St. James and Great St. James and announced the acquisition in May 2023 with an explicit plan to build a small, exclusive resort and to retain architects and engineers to execute the project, with the firm promoting a potential opening “as early as 2025” ^{[2] [1] [3]}. Company and media statements framed the project as a job‑creating, tourism‑boosting redevelopment meant to transform properties formerly owned by Jeffrey Epstein into a “world‑class destination,” language emphasized in PR and interviews ^{[2] [4]}.

2. From boardrooms to blueprints: hiring and preconstruction steps

Early coverage focused on the procurement of design and engineering talent rather than physical demolition or immediate large‑scale construction: Deckoff told reporters he was “in the process of retaining architects and engineers” to develop the resort, a milestone repeated in the SD Investments release and contemporaneous stories ^{[2] [1]}. Multiple outlets picked up that message as the concrete indicator of progress rather than permits or construction completions, suggesting the project moved into formal planning and design phases soon after closing ^{[3] [6]}.

3. Rebranding and visible renovation: on‑island changes reported

By early 2024 and into late 2025, reporting shifted from “plans” to visible change on the islands: the Economic Times and other outlets described ordered reconstruction and an image makeover intended to rebrand the sites away from their notoriety ^[4]. Later reporting described that at least some structures had been altered—news accounts said the blue‑and‑white “temple” was painted over, and small site features like an outdoor patio and fire pit were added—indicating local renovation activity rather than wholesale redevelopment into a finished resort ^[5].

4. What’s been accomplished — and what the sources do not show

Taken together, the sourced reporting documents a clear arc from acquisition and public planning in 2023 to active renovations and rebranding gestures by late 2025, and consistent public messaging about a 25‑room resort target and a hoped‑for 2025 opening ^{[2] [1] [4] [5]}. However, none of the provided articles confirms the resort’s opening, room inventory, occupancy, completed construction, or regulatory approvals; the public record here stops at design hires, statements of intent, and observed cosmetic and small‑scale site changes ^{[2] [1] [5]}.

5. Competing narratives and potential agendas in coverage

Deckoff’s public framing—economic uplift, tourism and jobs for the U.S. Virgin Islands—appears in company statements and some outlets, emphasizing local benefit and rehabilitation of a “distressed” property ^{[2] [3]}. Journalistic coverage has balanced that with a strong focus on rebranding a place associated with criminal notoriety, which carries implicit skepticism about whether image work is substitutional for substantive accountability or community engagement ^[4]. Sources range from PR releases and business outlets amplifying development plans to lifestyle and local reporting noting cosmetic changes; readers should note that PR statements naturally aim to present progress and benefits, while later anecdotal descriptions of paint jobs and patios do not by themselves prove completion of the advertised resort ^{[2] [5]}.

6. Bottom line: measurable progress, but not a finished resort

Progress since the 2023 purchase is measurable in planning milestones (retention of architects/engineers), publicized timelines, and on‑site renovation and rebranding actions reported through late 2025, but the provided sources do not show that the planned 25‑room resort opened or that substantial construction milestones (permitted buildouts, grand opening) were completed; the 2025 target appears optimistic in light of the evidence available here ^{[2] [1] [5] [4]}.