Zetina Demands Action on Sky‑High San Pedro Rent

A housing squeeze on Ambergris Caye is pushing frustration to a breaking point, and now one political voice on the island is calling for action. UDP Belize Rural South caretaker Gabriel Zetina is sounding the alarm over skyrocketing rent in San Pedro, saying residents are being priced out of their own community. At a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Zetina rolled out a set of proposals he believes could bring immediate relief. He argues that without swift intervention, the island’s workforce, and the families who keep San Pedro running, will continue to struggle under the weight of out‑of‑control rental costs.

 

Gabriel Zetina, UDP Caretaker, Belize Rural South

“A lot of people that coming to San Pedro, they are the working class. They migrate from Belize to here, again tying back to tourism, they come to work here. So we need to start seeing if we can create a draft or a bill to regulate the rent fees. It has to be done. If we can somehow create a property act or a rent act to address this issue. I think that will be the first step for us to regulate it. And it is not an initiative for only myself, but collectively as the government.”

 

Heredia, Zetina Decry Politicized Land Deals in San Pedro

Zetina isn’t only pushing for rent reform, he’s also calling out what he says are serious abuses in land distribution. He points to residents who’ve held lease land for years, only to find out someone else quietly got the title. One man at Wednesday’s press conference said he worked for years to secure his purchase price, but a trip to Belmopan showed the land had already been given away. Former area rep Manuel Heredia backed up the complaints, arguing that land on the island is being handed out to political loyalists instead of people with genuine need.

 

Gabriel Zetina, UDP Caretaker, Belize Rural South

“But then he keeps telling the working class that he will distribute land, but land is already being distributed and lets go further, likewise like my friend spoke just now, a family man with three kids, he has been living on that property for fifteen years, he had an existing lease, he applied for purchase price. He was told he would get it. He even sought out the area representative to assist him in expediting the process, just to be run around and then finally he went to Belmopan just to find out that he lost that by someone else who already has title when he has been in the process for so long, how is that.”

 

Manuel Heredia, Former Area Representative, Belize Rural South

“The existent area rep has been promising land to people, go and put your name over there and then you will be given a piece of land. The other day he said on the media he distributed eight hundred lots, to whom? Those are specially connected people. Not in my days when it did not matter if you are a UDP or a PUP, it went by merit. If the need was there then you were given. And I was the one that raised it in Cabinet, because before coming to government land was at discretion.”

 

Resident Urges Area Rep: ‘Show Up, Listen’

 

And just a short boat ride away, frustration is also boiling over in Caye Caulker, where resident Samira Martinez says the island has been neglected for years and is calling on the area representative to show up, listen, and address the community’s most basic needs. Here is what she had to say.

 

Samira Martinez, Caye Caulker Resident

“I want to say that Caye caulker, we should stop being neglected, period. Caye Caulker has been neglected for years. Our area rep needs to have a better working relationship with the village council. Our area rep needs to come and try visit the people, mainly of Bahia. Everybody in that community, we all have needs. Some people really heavily depend on the government to survive and I am of the belief that the government is using that. They are keeping the people poor, keeping the people uneducated, praying the people don’t wake up so they can continue to control the masses. Area rep start paying attention to Caye Caulker. Start visiting your people. Remember they are the ones that got you there.”

 

Calls Grow for Stronger Caye Caulker Safety

 

That frustration deepened as Martinez also raised alarm over rising violence on the island, saying Caye Caulker is no longer the peaceful haven it once was and calling for permanent police presence and more youth programs to keep young people safe.

 

Samira Martinez, Caye Caulker Resident

“The residents are concerned, mainly for their children. There is an entire new generation of children coming up. Caye Caulker use to be a safe haven, a safe zone. I grew up there. This generation will never be able to know the kind of peace that Caye Caulker use to have and I mentioned earlier. We need to have permanently stationed police officer in Caye Caulker and have them revisit their training every six months or so, whatever they see fit and we need to engage the youths in activities, teach them about life, teach them what it is to be a law abiding citizen. The youths are the ones being targeted. We need to have a loving harmonious relationship with the police and members of the community.”

 

Martinez says the community now wants more than promises, they want their area rep to show up, tackle longstanding neglect, and help restore the sense of safety Caye Caulker once knew.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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