Outrage over illegal construction in protected areas in Puerto Rico

For months now, permits have been approved for the construction of homes in the protected Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Salinas, Puerto Rico. At least 3,600 mangrove trees have been illegally cut, NBC reports. Puerto Rico’s Justice Department has launched an investigation to get to the bottom of why these construction projects were approved. The area, now littered with brick homes that include fences, pools, and private boat docks, is home to a number of rare animals, including the endangered Hawksbill Sea Turtle and the West Indian manatee.

Environmentalists fear that the destruction of these forests will make the impacts of climate change, such as more extreme hurricanes and unpredictable weather patterns, even worse for the Island. As the public clamors for answers, a blame game has set in with the reserve director blaming the Department of Natural Resources for the failure to protect the area while the department blames “the entire system.” Leadership roles in the department have been vacant for many months and the lack of government oversight to protect this area is leading local residents to worry that the problem will only get worse. 

 FBI arrests two more Puerto Rican mayors in corruption probe

The mayors of Humacao (Reynaldo “Rey” Vargas Rodriguez) and Aguas Buenas (Javier Garcia Perez) have been arrested by the FBI, El Nuevo Dia reports. Stephen Muldrow, head of the Federal Prosecutor’s Office in Puerto Rico, announced that the two were detained in connection with an investigation into JR Asphalt and Waste Collection. 

Mayor Garcia Perez is alleged to have taken cash bribes totaling about $32,000 in exchange for the city renewing the waste company’s contract. Mayor Vargas Rodriguez is accused of similar activities with the same company to the tune of about $15,000. If found guilty, the two could face as much as 20 years in prison for conspiracy, bribery, and extortion. They join at least three other sitting mayors who have faced corruption charges in Puerto Rico since 2020: the mayors of Guaynabo (Ángel Pérez Otero), Cataño (Félix Delgado Montalvo) and Guayama (Eduardo Cintrón). Additionally, the Vice-Mayor of Trujillo Alto, Radamés Benítez Cardona, and the former mayor Aguas Buenas, Luis Arroyo Chiques, are dealing with their own similar accusations.

Puerto Rico tax collections surpass expectations, as Governor announces contentious freeze of gas tax

Governor Pedro Pierluisi’s administration announced on May 4 that tax collections on the Island were $524 million above expectations for the first quarter of the year, as the Island took in $8.3 billion in revenue for the first three months of 2022. Bloomberg reports that this was $989 million more than the same time last year. With the excess money coming in from all tax collections, including income and sales tax, Governor Pierluisi has announced a 45-day suspension of the gas tax in order to ease the pain of gas prices that continue to rise amid the growing conflict in Ukraine, Bond Buyer reports.