A contentious land dispute in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, has escalated dramatically with allegations of political retaliation and wrongful termination. Jose Hernandez, a longtime resident, claims he was abruptly dismissed from his position at the San Pedro Town Council after publicly criticizing Area Representative Andre Perez.
The conflict originated when Hernandez joined opposition politician Gabriel Zetina at a press conference last week, accusing Perez of denying him legal rights to property he has occupied for a decade. Perez countered that Hernandez’s wife already owns island property, making additional land grants inappropriate.
Hernandez provides new context to the dispute, revealing he has been separated from his wife for three years and maintains no claim to her property. He asserts his former land allocation was personally revoked by Perez, leaving him without legal property rights despite decade-long occupancy.
The situation intensified when Hernandez received an unexpected termination notice from the Town Council. He describes being instructed to surrender his vehicle keys without formal dismissal procedures or severance pay, despite his long-term employment through the pandemic period. The father of five now faces severe financial hardship, unable to provide basic school expenses for his children.
Representative Perez denies involvement in the employment decision, stating Hernandez’s termination resulted from numerous parental complaints about his performance as a school transport driver. Perez characterizes the opposition’s support of Hernandez as political opportunism, pledging to provide evidence contradicting Hernandez’s claims of property development.
This personal dispute has evolved into a broader examination of political influence, property rights, and accountability in local governance.