Community and Society

Senior Reporter with The San Pedro Sun Dion Vansen and Editor Tamara Sniffin recently received a “Smart Coasts” journalism award from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF Mesoamerica) for highlighting the need to enforce environmental laws in Belize. Their collaboration on an article published in 2021 titled “Stakeholders attending virtual Smart Coast Project workshop say enforcement is critical for any environmental plan to succeed” led to the recognition of first prize in Belize.

World-renowned gymnast and Olympic champion Simone Biles celebrated her bachelorette party in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. The decorated Olympic champion of Belizean ancestry spent a weekend at the Alaia Hotel south of San Pedro, where she and a group of friends had fun and visited several places on Ambergris Caye.

The San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) is rolling into the final year of its first term in office. In an interview with Mayor Gualberto' Wally' Nuñez, he shared some accomplishments and what island residents can expect during their third year before the 2024 municipal elections. The Mayor said that his administration had worked hard since day one when they took over in March 2021. According to him, they found the town council in a precarious condition and had to start restructuring to salvage the administration. Nuñez said they have overcome a deficit and concentrate on projects such as street rehabilitation, beach nourishments, community programs to stimulate the local economy, and constructing a new bridge in the Boca del Rio area.

In a few weeks, island residents can expect to start paying for parking on Barrier Reef Drive (Front Street). The San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) has begun erecting parking meter posts along this busy street. The project, per the SPTC, is to alleviate the traffic congestion downtown, which has become an issue in San Pedro.

The 2022-2023 season of the Spiny Lobster (Panulirus argus) officially closed on Tuesday, February 28th, through June 30th. The fishermen said the stock was satisfactory throughout the season, providing them with good fishing grounds while leading seafood restaurants added that the supply of the popular crustacean was enough for their operations.

On Monday, February 27th, a two-week training named 'Women in Business' was officially launched at the Hidden Treasure restaurant. The training will see several young ladies learning marketing skills, how to start a small business, and practice work ethics.

Mayor Gualberto ‘Wally’ Nuñez clarified speculation that the San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) is no longer wholly involved in the day-to-day business of the transport department. The Mayor said that although a committee through the central government is involved to some extent, the island administration still collects and keeps all respective fees pertaining to this department.

In June 2021, San Pedro Town received “silver status” as a certified child-friendly municipality under the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund-UNICEF. Since then, the San Pedro Town Council (SPTC) has been working towards achieving the gold certification, then on to platinum. According to the SPTC, the job has not been easy, but they are working on projects to improve parks and other public areas frequented by families on the island.