May 3, 2022

VIEDA’s Enterprise Zone Commission to Relaunch Estate Planning Conference 

CHARLOTTE AMALIE, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands – May 3, 2022 – To help reduce the number of vacant buildings within the U.S. Virgin Islands’ enterprise zones that need to be revitalized, the general public – especially residents and business owners of properties within the enterprise zones of Christiansted, Frederiksted, Savanne-Downstreet and Garden Street- Upstreet – will have the opportunity to learn about estate planning. The Enterprise Zone Commission (EZC) will relaunch its free estate planning conference at 5:30 PM on Wednesday, May 4, 2022 in Bethania Hall at the Frederick Evangelical Lutheran Church at 5057 Norre Gade on St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; and on St. Croix at The Palms at Pelican Cove at 4126 La Grande Princesse, Christiansted, St. Croix, USVI 00820.

This conference will also be livestreamed by the Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority (VIEDA) on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/usvieda,
viewed on the Virgin Islands Government Access Channel (Channel 27), and broadcasted LIVE on WLDV 107.9FM DaVybe.

The EZC, an entity of the VIEDA, resumes this conference to share basic, invaluable information about estate planning options and the probate process in the U.S. Virgin
Islands. The attendees will also learn why estate planning is important, particularly for blighted and distressed neighborhoods in the Territory. This conference is also an opportunity for the USVI community to focus on the importance of planning the transfer of personal and real property along with considerations for asset preservation within families and the USVI community.

During the conference, legal professionals will be part of a panel discussion providing answers to these common questions, and more:

What should I do if I don’t have a will or a trust?;
I have a will, but are there other ways to plan my estate?;
My property has multiple owners and some are deceased, and the deceased owners did not have a will. What should I do?; and
There is a will. Can I avoid the probate process?

Originally created by V.I. legislation in 1999, the EZC provides tax credits and tax exemptions for individuals to rehabilitate buildings or properties, operate a business and create jobs for residents within the designated enterprise zones of Christiansted and Frederiksted on St. Croix, Savanne-Downstreet and Garden Street-Upstreet on St. Thomas. These programs help to revitalize the economy and the physical appearance of blighted and severely distressed areas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

To help reduce the spread the coronavirus (COVID-19), mask-wearing is required.

For individuals attending in-person, or virtually by Zoom.com, pre-registration is also required.

To register, send an email to [email protected] or [email protected]; or call 340-714-1700, ext. no. 1812, on St. Thomas; or 340-773-6499, ext. no. 2813, on St. Croix, USVI.

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“The Bryan-Roach Administration is investing in the Territory’s people, infrastructure and future through transparency, stabilizing the economy, restoring trust in the government and ensuring that recovery projects are completed as quickly as possible. Visit http://transparency.vi.gov .”