Playa del Carmen Officials Say Public Access to Playa 72 Will Not Be Blocked After Fencing Attempt

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — The municipal government of Playa del Carmen has assured residents that public access to Playa 72 will not be closed, following an attempt to install a fence near the beach that sparked neighborhood protests.

On Wednesday night, residents and police officers intervened to stop workers from erecting a fence on a lot near the Playa 72 access point. City Secretary Luis Herrera Quiam described the incident as a “misunderstanding,” saying the work was intended to mark the boundaries of a private property and not to block the public right-of-way to the beach.

“They were fencing off a private property that has an owner or concessionaire. The right-of-way cannot be closed,” Herrera Quiam said in an interview before a city council session.

Herrera Quiam said he did not know the identity of the property owner or concessionaire, noting that contact with that party was apparently handled through the Federal Maritime Terrestrial Zone (Zofemat). He reiterated that public access to Playa 72 is guaranteed and cannot be restricted by barriers or fences.

City Council Takes Up the Issue

During Thursday’s city council session, councilman José Luis Toledo Medina raised the matter and presented a 2021 letter sent by his late father, Marciano Toledo Sánchez, to then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, denouncing the alleged appropriation of the area. He also showed a response stating that the area is a public beach access point.

The case has alarmed residents and environmental groups, who stress the importance of preserving free access to the coastline and preventing any actions that could limit the public’s right to enjoy the beaches.

Worker Identified

The person overseeing the fence installation, who left the scene without providing proof of property ownership or information about those responsible, was identified on social media as Sergio Rodríguez. Users linked Rodríguez to the team of local Morena deputy Lili Mis and to previous eviction operations in the Luis Donaldo Colosio neighborhood carried out by the Riviera Maya Development Company (Derimaya).

As of now, no official information has been released about the property owner or the legal status of the lot where the fence was to be installed.