Puerto Morelos Shuts Down 10 Illegal Developments on Cenote Route

Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo — Authorities have intensified enforcement along the Ruta de los Cenotes, shutting down 10 of 30 illegal real estate projects operating in the ecologically sensitive corridor, officials said.

Sergio Chalé Gómez, director of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources for Puerto Morelos, said the developments lack environmental impact studies and have carried out unauthorized land clearing. The closures were carried out with support from the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa).

The municipality’s new Urban Development Program imposes strict restrictions on the area to protect local flora, fauna, and water bodies. Current regulations allow a maximum of four homes per hectare.

However, projects advertised online offer between five and 29 lots per hectare, far exceeding the legal limit.

“The developments that have been shut down simply failed to comply with regulations, including environmental impact studies, and cleared land without any permits,” Chalé Gómez said. “These are unilateral actions, and we have to enforce the rules.”

Despite municipal calls for developers to regularize their status, only eight of the 30 identified projects have approached authorities. The director warned that projects failing to meet technical and environmental requirements will face permanent suspensions and legal action for ecosystem damage.

Statewide, the Secretariat for Sustainable Urban Territorial Development (Sedetus) is monitoring 119 irregular real estate developments across Quintana Roo, concentrated in Tulum, Isla Mujeres, and Benito Juárez.

Isla Mujeres leads with 31 irregular developments, followed by Tulum with 29, Benito Juárez with 26, Othón P. Blanco with 13, Bacalar with nine, Puerto Morelos with five, Lázaro Cárdenas with four, Playa del Carmen with two, and Cozumel with one. Felipe Carrillo Puerto and José María Morelos reported no cases.