Minister of the Sea says construction on São Francisco Beach will have to be demolished.

Jorge Santos was responding to the contentious appeal for annulment, accompanied by a request for provisional suspension, filed by the Attorney General's Office with the Court of the District of Praia, aiming to annul the concession of a maritime area granted to a private company for the construction of a tourist development.

In statements to Inforpress, the official explained that the concession was authorized in early 2024 by the Concessions Office, based on environmental impact studies and applicable legal requirements, but the execution of the work ended up completely distorting the initially approved project.

“The concessionaire increased the concession area by more than 120 square meters and completely altered the type of construction, which should have been temporary, removable, and made of lightweight materials such as wood, changing it to a concrete construction, something that was never authorized for the beach,” he explained.

Jorge Santos also indicated that after the start of construction, the inspection bodies of the Ministry of the Sea, through the Maritime and Port Institute (IMP), proceeded to halt the construction and opened a dialogue process with the promoters to demand the correction of the irregularities detected.

According to the minister, the developers were formally notified to reinstate the principles defined in the concession contract, but, given the non-compliance, the Government proceeded, in the last quarter of 2025, with the process of reversing the concession.

"To our astonishment, during the election campaign, the developers illegally resumed work. The IMP (Institute of Public Works) once again halted the work, and the project is suspended again," he stated.

The minister stressed that the concession, granted for a period of ten years, could be reversed due to non-compliance with legal and contractual norms, advocating the demolition of all illegal structures to restore the conditions initially authorized.

"Everything that has been illegally built must be demolished to restore the principles of the project, which will have to be evaluated by the Concessions Office," he emphasized.

Jorge Santos also considered that "there is a convergence" between the Government's actions and the decision of the Attorney General's Office, emphasizing that both "aim to defend legality and the public interest in the management of the coastline."

On Tuesday, the Public Prosecutor's Office filed a contentious appeal with the Praia District Court, requesting the "provisional suspension of the enforceability of the administrative act" of the Minister of the Sea, which granted a private company the exclusive use of 600 square meters.

In the statement released to the public, the Public Prosecutor's Office indicated that it had identified "evidence likely to call into question the legality and environmental compliance" of the concession and the work in progress, also warning of increased risks of coastal erosion and environmental degradation associated with permanent construction in a sensitive coastal area.

Inforpress