Playa del Carmen, Q.R. — Playa del Carmen officials say the city spends approximately 1.2 million pesos a month supplementing street vendors. Julieta Martín Azueta who heads the Municipal Public Services, says the cost comes from street vendors hooking up illegal electrical outlets.
She said around 80 percent of the city’s street vendors park near a streetlight where the wiring is manipulated to install a plug. Those vendors are powering themselves on taxpayer money.
She said that daily theft of electricity costs the city approximately 1.2 million pesos per month. It has also been the known cause for short circuit fires that overload the wiring system.
Martín Azueta said given the situation, City Council recently approved the implementation of a new fee for street vendors who wish to use electricity from public infrastructure.
“The charge depends on the electronic devices the vendors have to connect so we can somewhat offset the issue of all this extra money we’re being charged,” she said.
The official estimated that approximately 300 Playa del Carmen street vendors illegally feed off city streetlights for their electricity.
