Seaboard Holdings Violates Dredging Permit, Faces Uncertain Penalty

A week after dredging along the Placencia Peninsula sparked national attention, the conversation isn’t slowing down. Tonight, the Placencia Village Council is stepping back into the spotlight, this time with new questions and renewed concern about what’s really happening offshore and who’s being held accountable. And the Mining Unit is responding. For some context, on March sixteenth, 2026, the Department of Environment issued environmental clearance to Mark Espat, the Director of Seaboard Holdings, to extract four thousand, five hundred cubic yards of sand from the lagoon to reclaim eroded beach along three parcels and build a rock wall. Just over a month later, on April twenty-second, the Mining Unit stepped in and granted a quarry permit to Albert Loewen for Seaboard Holdings Limited, valid until the end of the year and valued at six hundred and fifty dollars. As we’ve reported, the developer breached permit conditions, something Inspector of Mines Michelle Alvarez confirmed today. She says a fine is coming, but officials haven’t set the amount yet, and penalties for these violations are often minimal. Alvarez also confirmed that the Mining Unit did not authorize the construction of the road in the lagoon and that it has now been entirely removed. The Inspector of Mines also revealed that the dredged material exceeding the permitted forty-five hundred cubic yards will be donated to the community, along with an additional five percent of the dredged material. There are also questions being raised about the small fee of six hundred and fifty dollars associated with acquiring a dredging permit. The Inspector of Mines says that while she also takes issue with the small fee, it is a schedule in legislation and not mandated by the unit. Alvarez emphasized that the developer followed due process to receive environmental clearance and the mining permit, though the permit was later violated. It’s worth noting that Mark Espat serves as Belize’s Economic Ambassador.

 

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.

 

Watch the full newscast here: