Punta de Mita, Nayarit, June 20, 2026 – SEMARNAT has moved the Playa Las Cocinas dispute into a new federal phase, saying stone containment works built by Cantiles de Mita, a Grupo DINE company, exceeded the conditions of a federal beach-zone concession and should be removed as part of a restoration process.
In its June 19 statement, the federal environment ministry said inspections with PROFEPA and a technical opinion requested by the Fiscalía General de la República found irregularities in the enrocamiento and containment works at Playa Las Cocinas.
The key finding is narrow but important: the concession allowed use for coastal protection, but SEMARNAT says it did not allow permanent construction or infrastructure. The agency said the works exceeded the authorized conditions and may affect the beach’s natural dynamics.
Federal review now centers on the concession
SEMARNAT said it is reviewing the ZOFEMAT concession tied to the site because of what it described as improper use of a public federal asset.
The agency has asked the company to voluntarily remove the works and carry out restoration. That step would come before any subsequent review of technically viable alternatives through formal environmental impact procedures.
That wording matters. SEMARNAT has not publicly announced that the concession has been revoked. It has also not published a removal deadline. For now, the federal action is a concession review, a restoration demand, and a new technical inspection.
Why ZOFEMAT changes the stakes
Playa Las Cocinas is not just a dispute over a wall of rock. It is a dispute over what can be done inside Mexico’s Zona Federal Marítimo Terrestre, or ZOFEMAT.
PROFEPA defines ZOFEMAT as the 20-meter strip of firm, walkable land next to the beach. Mexico’s General Law of National Assets also says access to maritime beaches and the adjoining federal zone cannot be blocked, restricted, obstructed, or conditioned, except in cases allowed by regulation.
A concession does not make a beach private. It grants limited use under federal conditions. In Las Cocinas, SEMARNAT is now saying those conditions were crossed.
The dispute had been building for months
The federal action follows a long fight between residents, environmental defenders, the developer, and several layers of government.
PROFEPA temporarily closed works at the site in August 2025 after finding activities in the federal maritime-terrestrial zone without environmental authorization from SEMARNAT.
Residents and community groups maintained pressure on the case throughout 2026, arguing that the works threatened public access, turtle nesting areas, and the beach’s natural shape. Grupo DINE has previously said the work was in response to erosion and was being carried out under permits, while maintaining that public passage would remain open, as reported by El País.
The conflict has also reached the courts and the police system. Activists associated with protests over the project have faced arrest warrants and legal complaints, according to El Financiero.
Vallarta Daily has followed the broader pressure around community objections at Playa Las Cocinas and the wider pattern of Bahía de Banderas beach-access restrictions.
June 25 inspection will shape the next step
A new multi-agency visit to Playa Las Cocinas is scheduled for June 25.
SEMARNAT said the inspection will include personnel from the General Directorate of Environmental Impact and Risk, the ZOFEMAT and Coastal Environments office, the Environmental Restoration office, the territorial-management unit known as URCORGT, and PROFEPA.
The visit should clarify what federal technicians consider removable, what restoration would require, and whether the company proposes an alternative route through the environmental review process.
The test is now on the sand
The federal move shifts the case from protest and public pressure into an enforcement test.
The public question is no longer only whether Las Cocinas should remain open. Federal law already treats beaches and the adjoining ZOFEMAT as public-use assets. The harder question is whether the conditions written into this concession will be enforced where the beach, the project, and the community all meet.
