Oct 6 - Decreto 801 - the big “Uh Oh”
Just how big a mess has this new law - Decreto 801, passed at the last minute by the outgoing governor of Merida, prohibiting any new construction or reconstruction on the beaches of the Yucatan within 60 meters of the high water mark - created ?? Obviously, a very large one. . . . or is it??
The Merida Insider buzzes with comments and suggestions, from urging all to get involved, to urging ‘gringos’ to not get involved. . . while a quick check which I just did of Yucatan Living reveals no word on the issue under their latest news section. . . (I did not go into a ‘thorough’ search there, as this SLOW dial-up really limits my cruising capabilities on the internet) . . but I did want to see if this was a major topic of conversation there. . . Yucatan Today revealed no headlines on the topic. . .
And, to date we have no official word on the topic. . . as it seems to be an issue that will be a while in the resolving. . . I will finish this post by simply copying some of the more relevant comments on this issue from the Merida Insider. . .and in doing so am selecting those that seem to hit the high points on all sides of the issue. . .
The law that the previous governor sneaked pass the world on his last day of administration is very detrimental to the entire beach front population. This law would prohibit any rebuilding of ones property unless it is 60 meters from the beach (190 ft), this includes swimming pools, etc.
In essence if your property line is now 20 meters from high tide, you will lose 40 meters additional that you will not be able to do anything on. What this law would do to 95% of the beach front property owners is make their property of little value as most of the properties could not build behind the 60 meter mark because there would not be enough ground to do it.
So what do we do??????????????? We are going to fight this and have this declared unconstitutional according to the legal consultations I have been having. the entire community and investors are all up in arms about this.
kathleeng
It will be interesting to see how long this new legislation will last when many of the families who have built the HUGE mansions along the beach between Progreso and Chicxulub and beyond get involved. These people are obviously insanely rich and must be very well connected.
Dave_in_Ont
The political/legal environment here is complex, to say the least, and there are many axes to grind — economic and political. Misinformation abounds — and is as likely to come from Mexican citizens as from foreign residents. It seems to me that foreigners would do well to be cautious in their involvment — at least being sure that they are getting accurate information, and know who is providing the information and where their interests lie (that’s NOT meant to question the motives of anyone involved in this issue, or anyone posting here — just common sense).
dug
I would just like to caution that any expats be very careful not to appear to be participating in a political process or debate as regards this issue. It is strictly forbidden for us to participate in politics in any way, and criticism of any government person or entity could be construed as just that.
It is my understanding that at least 400 Mexican beach land owners are now involved in disputing the terms of this regulation. I’m sure plenty of wealthy and influential persons will be involved, so please don’t get into trouble in your participation.
yucajohn
