Tulum Residents Fight Against Insecurity and Urban Chaos

Tulum's residents are becoming increasingly frustrated due to escalating security concerns and unchecked urban growth. The situation has been exacerbated by the murder of the local public security secretary and ongoing environmental complaints about unauthorized real estate developments.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS: The advocacy group, Defending the Right to a Healthy Environment (DMAS), has highlighted that approximately 300 projected real estate developments in Tulum lack the necessary permits. It remains unclear how many of these developments have been authorized by the local government or possess federal environmental permits. Last year, DMAS requested information from Semarnat regarding issued permits from mid-2023 to May 2024, but no data was provided. This lack of regulation has resulted in disorderly and chaotic urban growth.

INCREASING INSECURITY: Tulum is currently the most insecure municipality in Quintana Roo, according to data from the National Citizen Observatory. Since 2017, the municipality has had the highest number of investigation files per 100,000 residents, surpassing even Playa del Carmen and Cancun. In the previous year alone, Tulum accumulated 5,055 investigation files, followed by Playa del Carmen with 4,172.

LACK OF TRANSPARENCY: The relocation of international electronic music events to Tulum has not resulted in any discernible income. Councilor Jorge Portilla requested a report on the revenue generated from these events during a council session, but no information has been provided so far.

CALL FOR MAYOR'S REMOVAL: In response to the rising insecurity, lack of services, and uncontrolled city growth, a group of concerned citizens will be petitioning for the removal of Mayor Diego Castañón. Even though such an action is not legally supported in Quintana Roo, it sends a strong message to a mayor who was narrowly reelected, despite endorsement from the allied parties of the Fourth Transformation: Morena and the Green Party.