On April 7, 2026, what was supposed to be a day of resolution for hundreds of ticket holders of the canceled Sub Umbra Floreo Lions Club 2026 Toyota Hilux raffle turned into yet another episode of frustration in Belize City. Hundreds of people who had purchased tickets to the ill-fated fundraiser traveled to the Belize City Civic Centre on Tuesday morning, lured by a public notice posted to the Lions Club’s official Facebook page on March 31. The flier clearly stated that all 500 ticket holders could claim full refunds between 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the venue’s on-site ticket booth. But when attendees arrived for the scheduled payout, they were met with an empty, unmanned booth and no explanation for the absence of club representatives.
Local outlet News Five, which has spent weeks covering the unraveling of the failed fundraising raffle, had reporters on the ground as ticket holders trickled in, each holding their unused entries and hoping to recoup their money, only to leave confused. Among the frustrated attendees was Carl Duncan, who made the trip from the nearby community of Ladyville to claim his refund. Despite the inconvenience and unmet expectation, Duncan said he was still trying to hold out hope that the organization would honor its promise.
“It is a big letdown,” Duncan told reporters on site. “People put their trust in this organization. I traveled a long way to get here from Ladyville, and gas prices are sky high right now. We’ve always known this to be a reputable group, we placed our trust in them, and I just hope they don’t end up letting us down.”
It was not until shortly before noon that the Lions Club issued a brief update via its social media channels, attributing the delay to unspecified bank holdups. The post said refunds would be distributed later than the originally advertised timeline. Club representatives finally arrived at the Civic Centre booth after 2 p.m. to begin processing the delayed reimbursements. Full updates and further details on the ongoing situation are set to air during News Five Live’s 6 p.m. broadcast on the same day.