Flávio Bolsonaro revises controversial coastal land bill

Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, has submitted a new draft of a controversial bill that allows the federal government to transfer control over coastal land to states, municipalities, or private interests.

The bill refers to these areas as “marine land,” defined as regions bordering the sea and extending 33 meters from the high tide mean line of 1831. Everything located within this coastal strip — including beaches, dunes, mangroves, and coastal islands — is considered marine land.

Environmentalists argue that the bill could lead to the creation of private beaches in Brazil and pose a risk to the country’s biodiversity.

The bill first passed the House in early 2022. Senator Bolsonaro initially supported the draft as it was but has now revised the language to address the controversy. He added a paragraph emphasizing that beaches are public, but with exceptions for reasons of “national security,” “specific legislation,” and city zoning laws.

Due to these modifications, the bill will return to the House for a new vote if approved in the Senate.

As The Brazilian Report detailed in an episode of our Explaining Brazil podcast, the push to allow the private use of “marine land” is closely related to the effort to legalize casinos, as beaches are prime locations for casino resorts. Both bills passed the House floor within 48 hours of each other in early 2022. The casino bill has also recently passed a tight vote in a key Senate committee but has not yet been submitted to the floor.

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