Squatting is Still a Major Issue in San Pedro

Hurricane Beryl was a powerful storm that would have likely destroyed the most vulnerable homes in San Pedro. Most of these structures are built in low-lying swamps by squatters. And today, Mayor Wally Nunez told News Five that Hurricane Beryl has brought into sharp focus a perennial issue on the island. He reiterated that not only is building shacks in the mangroves a hazard, but it is illegal.

 

Wally Nunez, Mayor, San Pedro

“That is something that we will have to look closely with the government to see how we can assist these people and probably relocate them in another area. But that is an ongoing process that we can’t just do overnight. We know that there’s a couple of them that have been going up in the mangrove areas that our building unit has been addressing. We actually had to put a stop to some of them and advising these people that they are squatting on places that are not their property, that they do not own, and we cannot allow it because we cannot allow for them to go and build on a mangrove. It is illegal.”