Puerto Rico Morning Brief Wednesday, October 21, 2026

Governor Jenniffer González Colón called LUMA Energy’s new rate increase request before the Energy Bureau a "barbaridad." She said the operator is trying to pass administrative and operational costs to consumers while failing on maintenance of the electric system. Speaking to the press at the SESA Summit 2026 at the Caribbean Hilton, she said it is "increase, increase, increase" while LUMA is "not doing the work." She cited the Energy Bureau’s report on the 2025 blackout, which attributed it to rats and lack of substation maintenance, and said it could have been avoided.

Puerto Rico’s Family Department closed the Arcoíris de Esperanza Child Care and Development Center in San Juan. It cited "serious deficiencies that pose a risk to the safety, health and well-being of the children served," according to a press release. The department’s Licensing Office issued the closure order. Inspectors found violations involving children’s exposure to strangers, inadequate supervision and toxic materials near spaces the children use. They also found shortfalls in staffing and in the safety documentation required of employees.

Corrections Secretary Julie Gómez Gómez visited the Guayama 1000 Correctional Institution on Tuesday, October 20, after a group of inmates alleged actions by a lieutenant that they say hurt their chances at rehabilitation. The inmates told NotiUno 630 that Lieutenant Montes canceled a cultural activity meant to promote Puerto Rican identity through craft workshops. They also said he ordered the confiscation of materials their relatives had bought. During the visit, Gómez met with the security component and a group of inmates to hear their concerns and address the situation.

Josué Colón Ortiz, executive director of the Public-Private Partnerships Authority and the island’s energy czar, said on Tuesday, October 20, that a Supreme Court resolution does not mean the court adopted LUMA’s arguments. The resolution kept documents filed by LUMA on the case’s record. The court denied the motions in which the Government, the authority and the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) opposed the court taking judicial notice of those documents. It also ordered the parties to refrain from filing additional briefs unless requested, an instruction Colón Ortiz said applies to all parties.

The Department of Natural and Environmental Resources argued on Tuesday, October 20, that its technical discretion is "an essential mechanism" for protecting the island’s karst zone. It was responding to House Bill 1079, authored by House Speaker Carlos "Johnny" Méndez, which would strip it of powers. The bill would give the Planning Board responsibility for implementing the law and require that use of the karst zone be considered "as part of Puerto Rico’s development." It would also let the board define which lands qualify as karst, instead of the specific zones in current law. The department’s memorial says karst zones cover about 20% of the island’s land surface.

Hospital Auxilio Mutuo has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit over a September 2023 cybersecurity incident, and the settlement still needs final court approval. The hospital must fund up to $500,000 for about 41,000 affected patients, plus more than $1.1 million in cybersecurity infrastructure investment. José A. Morales Rosario filed the suit on May 1, 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. He sued after the hospital disclosed that the attack may have compromised data of patients who visited between August 2022 and September 2023.