Lawmakers defend bill aimed at preventing tourist drownings

Puerto Rico averages around 30 drownings annually.

Responsibility extended to short-term rental hosts

By THE STAR STAFF

House Bill 605, a legislative measure designed to reduce tourist drownings in Puerto Rico, would require short-term rental hosts to provide safety advisories about nearby beach hazards. The proposal has generated resistance from industry stakeholders, including Airbnb and the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC), due to concerns over feasibility and enforcement.

Puerto Rico averages around 30 drownings annually. As of October 2025, 24 have already been reported, most occurring on beaches. The island ranks among U.S. jurisdictions with the highest number of drownings.

The bill would obligate rental hosts to list nearby beaches within a five-mile radius, include alerts about hazardous ocean conditions, and provide evacuation plans with routes and shelter locations. Hosts would be responsible for collecting, verifying, and updating this information in both English and Spanish.

Carlos Muñoz, Airbnb’s Director of Public Policy for the Caribbean and Central America, said in written testimony that the bill, as drafted, imposes “disproportionate obligations” on small-scale rental operators.

“These providers, mostly individuals with one or two units, lack the training and operational infrastructure to act as beach safety regulators,” Muñoz said during a House Tourism Committee hearing. “Assigning them this responsibility could discourage tourism, reduce local economic opportunities, and lead to uneven enforcement.”

Muñoz argued that such safety responsibilities belong to specialized government agencies. He warned that distributing safety information through thousands of individual hosts could result in outdated or inconsistent messaging, increasing risks rather than reducing them.

While acknowledging the importance of protecting lives, Muñoz urged the government to instead invest in lifeguard programs and public education campaigns about aquatic safety at airports, ports, and tourist hubs.

He also proposed developing a bilingual online portal providing real-time beach condition updates, emergency contacts, evacuation maps, and storm alerts. This site could generate QR codes for display at high-risk beaches, offering official guidance to tourists.

PRTC also voiced reservations, noting that the legislation would assign new regulatory duties to the agency, including enforcing compliance and issuing fines to noncompliant hosts.

PRTC attorney Raúl Márquez stated that properly informing tourists about beach risks strengthens Puerto Rico’s image as a safe destination. However, he noted that enforcing the bill would require new funding and resources.

In response, Rep. María de Lourdes Ramos Rivera, the bill’s sponsor, defended the measure as essential for tourist safety.

“Rescue operations cost more than placing a warning sign in a rental unit,” Ramos Rivera said. “Life has no price—especially when grieving families must travel here to recover a loved one who drowned.”

She also proposed expanding the bill to include warnings about rivers, citing recent rescues involving tourists caught in sudden floods.

The Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DRNA) reported during the hearing that it currently has 17 vacant lifeguard positions, with only 22 active lifeguards covering public beaches.

The agency expressed support for the bill but recommended merging it with two other legislative proposals to create a unified regulatory framework addressing beach safety.

“This legislation has good intentions and is rooted in Puerto Rico’s tragic experiences with drownings and beach accidents,” said Rep. Axel “Chino” Roque Gracia, chair of the Tourism Committee. “We’ll keep refining it to ensure it can move forward.”