SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The newly appointed secretary of Puerto Rico’s natural resources department has decided to halt an investigation into reports of illicit construction activities in a protected region on the island’s southwest shoreline, which has prompted significant backlash.
This decision was announced following a directive published late Thursday by Governor Jenniffer González, who took office recently and referred to the investigation as a form of “political persecution” that was initiated under the previous administration.
The probe focused on individuals allegedly involved in unlawful actions, including González’s own in-laws, who faced accusations of illegally removing mangroves and making unauthorized modifications to a dock at their residence in La Parguera, a site established as a natural reserve in 1979 and renowned for its bioluminescent bay. Both González and her in-laws, identified as José Vargas and Irma Llavona, have categorically denied any wrongdoing.
On Thursday, following her inauguration, González appointed Waldemar Quiles as the new secretary of natural resources. She asserted that the investigation was politically motivated, linked to events from the previous year during party primaries in which she triumphed over former Governor Pedro Pierluisi, who was seeking another term and had previously rejected claims of any political bias.
Quiles’s initial administrative action was to suspend the investigation, along with measures aimed at legitimizing existing homes in La Parguera through a fee to be paid by property owners every five years. However, legal expert and Puerto Rican attorney Pedro Saadé expressed strong opposition to this decision. He emphasized that there are established protocols for granting concessions on public domain properties, stating, “How are you, as your first act, going to exempt from scratch and in a broad way, a whole line of illegal uses of public domain assets?”
In a subsequent phone interview, Saadé voiced concerns that such an order might create a troubling precedent and further undermine protections for other regions across Puerto Rico, which is already facing an upsurge in unauthorized developments.
On Friday, Hernaliz Vázquez, president of the Sierra Club’s Puerto Rico chapter, urged officials to revoke Quiles’s appointment and condemned his recent directive. She remarked, “This action is a direct affront against environmental protection and justice. It is unacceptable that the (natural resources) secretary … whose mission should be to safeguard our natural resources, uses his position to benefit the governor’s in-laws.” Vázquez further criticized the decision to retroactively endorse constructions that have adversely affected a protected nature reserve, labeling it as both irresponsible and illegal.
The origins of structures in La Parguera trace back to the 1960s, where fishermen initially dwelled in makeshift homes, a situation that has since evolved into the development of upscale residences. Environmental advocates are calling for the removal of these constructions due to their negative impact on the ecosystem.
The prior investigation, led by former natural resources secretary Anaís Rodríguez, included a proposed penalty of $25,000 against González’s family members. Rodríguez had previously suggested that the scrutiny should persist under the new administration.
In response to these developments, Thomas Rivera Schatz, the president of the Puerto Rico Senate, took to Facebook, indicating that the Senate will seek clarification from Quiles regarding his administrative decision. He emphasized that measures designed to prevent “selective prosecution” must be handled with “caution, transparency and firmness” to avoid any appearances of favoritism or undue privilege.
A representative from Puerto Rico’s Natural Resources Department was unavailable for comment at the time of reporting. In written remarks shared with the local newspaper El Nuevo Día, Quiles claimed that his directive had been drafted by the preceding administration and asserted that it recognizes the established rights of homeowners in La Parguera while delineating the responsibilities they must adhere to going forward.
