Puerto Rico
Méndez González is an award-winning environmental investigative reporter for Puerto Rico's Center for Investigative Journalism. He is a passionate, data-driven investigative journalist with a strong interest in stories about Puerto Rico, where he was born and raised. He earned a master’s degree in Information Design and Data Visualization from Northeastern University. He has been a fellow with environmental journalism organizations such as Climate Tracker, The Uproot Project, Metcalf Institute, and Ocean Nexus. He has also been awarded by the E-Mark Foundation, Overseas Press Club of Puerto Rico, the Caribbean Tourism Organization, Climate Tracker Caribbean, and the Puerto Rico Journalists Association.
Méndez González es un periodista investigativo especializado en medioambiente para el Centro de Periodismo Investigativo. Es un periodista apasionado por el análisis de datos, con un fuerte interés en contar historias sobre Puerto Rico, donde nació y creció. Obtuvo una maestría en Diseño de Información y Visualización de Datos en la Universidad de Northeastern. Ha sido becado por organizaciones de periodismo ambiental como Climate Tracker, The Uproot Project, Metcalf Institute y Ocean Nexus. Ha sido premiado por la Fundación E-Mark, la Organización de Turismo del Caribe, la Asociación de Periodistas de Puerto Rico, el Overseas Press Club de Puerto Rico y Climate Tracker Caribbean.
Foto / Photo: José Madera | Centro de Periodismo Investigativo
The hotel operators and investors behind the Esencia project in Cabo Rojo have faced lawsuits and complaints over environmental controversies and corporate disputes in multiple countries.
According to the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, the housing units proposed for the project outnumber the tourist lodging units by a ratio of two to one. The agency recommended that the developer reduce the number of residences to qualify for more tax credits.
For decades, complaints for environmental violations and criminal accusations filed against members of the Abreu Valentín family or their corporations have had no consequences in Puerto Rico's administrative or judicial forums.
While the number of cruise passengers visiting Old San Juan rose 11% from 2015 to 2025, residents warn that the influx is straining public infrastructure and community life.
The proposed construction of Esencia comes as home prices and sales in the western municipality of Puerto Rico rise, even as residents struggle to secure a place of their own at an affordable cost.
The experience of communities in Isabela and Vega Baja shows that the government of Puerto Rico acts against the recommendations of experts and its own public policy, which is supposed to protect coastal natural resources.
The construction of the Western Bypass in Mayagüez, along with other commercial developments on the outskirts, has destroyed wetlands and altered the hydrology of ecosystems adjacent to the Caño Boquilla in this municipality, worsening the flooding that continuously affects residents in the El Maní sector.
In the absence of long-term mitigation and adaptation projects from the government, many roads along Puerto Rico's coastal strip could be vulnerable to rising sea levels and increased flooding.
The case of several properties on the Arecibo coast is an example of what is happening in other areas of Puerto Rico, but neither the Municipality nor the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DRNA, in Spanish) act, while construction is allowed in the area affected by erosion.
