Part of Bermuda Reef Blown Up to Accommodate Perot’s Yacht

A construction crew working for Ross Perot blew up part of a coral reef without first getting a permit, enabling him to bring his yacht closer to his vacation home in Bermuda, Time magazine reported Sunday.

Bermuda’s Department of the Environment had ruled against Perot’s plan to build a dock and boathouse at one of his houses there in 1986 because of the dredging required to bring his yacht closer to shore, Time said.

The magazine said the contractors realized any similar request to cut a channel in a nearby reef would probably be denied as well.

So “without filing for a permit, Perot’s construction team blew a section of the reef near his house,” Time said.

According to the magazine, Perot told Bermuda officials he knew nothing about the damage to the reef and threatened to sell his houses and leave.

Bermuda officials quickly reported there was no evidence that he had known about environmental violations by the contractors, Time said.

The dynamited reef, like much of Bermuda’s Coral Harbor, was in poor shape and may have already been dead when Perot’s construction team blew it up, Time said.

The Bermuda government decided the damage was not great and eventually issued Perot a retroactive permit for the dredging “on the understanding that Perot would not do any more unauthorized blasting,” the magazine said.