Puerto Rico Morning Brief Thursday, October 15, 2026

The Puerto Rico Senate approved a substitute bill for Senate Bills 1173 and 1183 that would create a new Planning and Permits Code for Puerto Rico. The code would repeal 46 legal and administrative instruments and 50 laws. The original bills had been under discussion since April and were the subject of four public hearings. The approved version replaces both, runs 868 pages and was filed Wednesday, October 7. Currently, an activity cannot proceed until agencies verify the permit.

Comptroller Carmen Vega Fournier announced that she is working on a retirement initiative for employees of the Office of the Comptroller. She expects to launch it during 2027. In an interview with Rubén Sánchez, Puerto Rico Comptroller Carmen Vega Fournier said more than 70% of the office’s employees are 50 or older, which poses challenges for continuing the oversight of public funds. She had first planned to develop the initiative over three to four years but decided to move it up.

LUMA Energy will carry out maintenance, repair and modernization work on the electrical infrastructure in 14 towns on Thursday, October 15, and the work could cause power outages. The towns include Hatillo, Cataño, Rincón and San Juan. The work includes installing automated devices, replacing and repairing electrical lines and equipment, improving substations, removing hazardous vegetation and strengthening poles. In Hatillo, it will affect the Clan neighborhood, Plaza Hatillo and several residential areas.

Shirly Morales, a fruit and vegetable supplier to Puerto Rico’s public school cafeterias, says the government owes her more than $400,000 for services rendered. The debt covers almost two years without payment. Morales spoke Wednesday, October 14, on the radio program Pega’os en la Mañana. She said the government told her it does not know when it can pay because of problems with the system.

Senate Vice President Carmelo Ríos said on Wednesday, October 14, that recent federal legislation aiming to limit American citizenship in territories like Puerto Rico will not succeed. Ríos believes the measures are being used as a political tool, with some assuming Puerto Rico would be a Democratic state if it became a state. He thinks Puerto Rico would instead be a "swing state" like Florida.

New Fortress Energy (NFE) resumed gas deliveries to Puerto Rico just hours before a court hearing, avoiding a judicial order. The company had stopped delivering gas for almost a month. US District Judge María Antongiorgi Jordán ruled that NFE’s contract with the government to sell gas eliminates the possibility of obtaining a court order to enable the use of an alternative supplier. The Fiscal Control Board introduced a "tolling" mechanism as a condition of the contract. It requires NFE to open its dock to alternative suppliers if it cannot deliver gas, in exchange for a "toll" payment.