This week many peoples suspicions about the booming coastal developments in Costa Rica’s northern areas were confirmed.  Nearly 1 in every 4 of the many condominium, hotel and private residential developments are illegal, lacking even the most basic government permits!  Out of the 217 developments that were randomly surveyed, 45 of them fell into the illegal category, with many people not surprised in the slightest.

Due to the booming property and tourism industries in Costa Rica right now, many developers are prepared to build illegally and then pay the fine should they be caught.  They have lawyers ready and prepared should the fines be required, and are willing to pay, due to just how lucrative development in the Guanacaste region currently is.

When asked about the issue. Mayor Jorge Alberto Cole responded by saying that many of the developers believed in the old saying that “It’s better to ask forgiveness that for permission”

There are currently issues with other areas of development all over the country, with the most worrying being along the Pacific Coast.  Here foreign investors and developers have found loopholes in the system, which now allow them to buy and develop land that is supposed to be protected against development, and to maintain the natural beauty of the area.  If this situation is not caught and taken under control soon, Costa Rica is going to become just another commercialized tourist destination.  Someone needs to step up and take control, impose new, higher penalties, maybe even jail time for illegally developing protected areas.

This week, President Oscar Arias opened yet another business, adding to his ever increasing list of inaugurations. However, none of the businesses he has inaugurated in the past are quite like this one, with him announcing "I have no doubt… that of the many businesses around the country that I've inaugurated, none manufactures a product that not only brings happiness to women, but especially to us, the men!"

If you haven't guessed the business that he opened was one that manufactures women's breast implants. This is due to the huge boom in medical product manufacturing in Costa Rica, which is now the second largest export behind Microprocessors and related items.

The plant created a large number of well paid jobs and is seen as a great benefit to the community!