Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, August 26, 2026 – Puerto Vallarta’s long-running conflict over construction approvals returned to the presidential morning briefing Wednesday when journalist Susana Carreño accused past city administrations of issuing permits outside local rules. Environment Secretary Alicia Bárcena answered that the city’s development situation is “really very difficult” and outlined active federal enforcement, but she did not endorse the allegation against former mayor Ramón Guerrero.
During Wednesday’s presidential briefing, Carreño said environmental advocates and neighborhood groups had spent years challenging buildings that allegedly exceeded their authorized height or scope. She named Orchid and Carmelina, both in Conchas Chinas, then stated that previous city officials had granted noncompliant construction licenses and referred directly to Guerrero, who led the municipal government during the 2012–2015 term.
The accusation remains Carreño’s statement. Bárcena did not say Semarnat had found that Guerrero approved an unlawful permit, and she assigned no personal responsibility to him. A local report describing the exchange likewise distinguished the journalist’s claim from the secretary’s response.
Bárcena instead addressed the broader enforcement problem. She said Semarnat has closed real estate projects in the municipality and is awaiting complete demolition of a coastal building she described as extending into the sea. The secretary also said her department requested assistance from the Federal Attorney General’s Office in that matter.
That statement adds a current federal dimension to a dispute already visible in municipal and court records. In October 2022, Puerto Vallarta’s Comptroller opened an administrative investigation linked to Carmelina after receiving a popular urban complaint from residents and property owners in Conchas Chinas.
The complainants sought permanent closure, revocation of permits, sanctions, and remedial measures. Opening the inquiry recorded the allegations and initiated a municipal review. It did not, by itself, establish that a violation had occurred.
Orchid followed a separate legal track. Municipal records cited in the local report describe work tied to a partial, controlled demolition and compliance with a ruling in amparo case 863/2018. The dispute has centered on construction above the levels authorized under local planning rules.
The two properties are part of a wider enforcement history. PVDN reported in 2023 that Semarnat had halted 22 developments, collectively linked to an estimated US$352 million in investment. A later meeting involving municipal officials, federal authorities and developers explored how the projects could resolve permit and environmental issues, showing that a closure can begin a compliance process rather than settle every legal question.
Bárcena said the difficulty rests partly in divided authority. City governments control zoning, land use and construction licenses, while federal agencies handle environmental impact, protected resources and the Federal Maritime-Terrestrial Zone. State agencies also enter some reviews.
PVDN’s examination of coastal development oversight details how one development can hold a city permit yet still face a federal closure, environmental challenge or court order.
The exchange occurred as the administration presented a proposed replacement to Mexico’s 1988 environmental framework. The live briefing record says President Claudia Sheinbaum signed the initiative ahead of its submission to the Chamber of Deputies. Bárcena linked the proposal to stronger prevention, restoration, environmental justice and legal certainty across major projects.
Puerto Vallarta’s cases will continue moving through existing permits, investigations, court rulings and federal enforcement files. Bárcena said Semarnat is working across all 17 coastal states to improve ecological planning and organize the federal coastal zone. She also invited residents and environmental groups to submit documented complaints directly to the agency.
