The Municipality of Santa Cruz demolished five structures built on Avellanas Beach, within the 50-meter public zone of the maritime-terrestrial area. In a video posted on the municipality’s social media accounts, Mayor Jorge Alfaro said the demolition complied with a court order.
“In a ruling issued by the Administrative Court, the municipality was ordered to evict the entire area [the maritime-terrestrial zone of Avellanas Beach], which was practically slums. There are practically no residents here. These are houses belonging to people who usurped the maritime-terrestrial zone,” Alfaro stated.
The mayor cited Resolution No. 2023005443, issued at 3:27 p.m. on November 15, 2023, which orders “the eviction of all persons and the immediate demolition, with due process guarantees, of all existing structures in the public area of the Avellanas Beach Maritime-Terrestrial Zone.”
Alfaro insisted the demolition was not at his discretion or due to pressure from commercial interests in neighboring lots. However, local media outlet Guanacaste Primero shared the testimony of Otto Vargas, a neighbor who claims to have lived in the evicted area for more than three decades.
“My grandmother bought this property more than 70 years ago, according to the deeds, and now it seems that the municipality of Santa Cruz wants to evict us. They want to remove us, who have been the only residents. My father applied for a resident’s permit, but the people from the maritime-terrestrial zone never responded,” Vargas said.
He argued that if his home was demolished, all other buildings in the area should be treated equally. Others echoed his concerns in comments on municipal social media posts, alleging that certain commercial buildings remain untouched.
On social media, many users expressed solidarity with displaced locals, criticizing what they saw as a “selective” application of the law that targets those with fewer resources to defend themselves. They claimed that businesses owned by foreigners and mansions built on the maritime-terrestrial zone remain untouched, yet is the locals who have to suffer.
“When will he go to Tamarindo?” a local asked on social media.
“This is corruption,” another user commented on the video posted by the municipality.
