Ciego de Ávila authorities announced on Friday that self-employed workers who repeatedly occupy the public corridors of the city to sell could lose their work license, in a warning that combines fines, inspections, and direct pressure on property owners.
Rosa Amparo Bernal Bernal, director of State Inspection and Land Control at the Provincial Directorate of Land Management and Urbanism, stated bluntly in an interview with the official newspaper Invasor: "We are saddened, but we will have to withdraw their project if they repeat their offenses. We want income, but we also want order and beauty."
The official clarified the legal distinction that the authorities invoke to justify the sanctions.
"The portal is for the exclusive use of the residence. The corridor, on the other hand, is a public space for transit, socialization, and protection from the sun or rain. No one can close it or use it for personal business," Bernal explained.
As legal backing, he cited Law 145 on Land and Decree 272 from the year 2001, which prohibit the occupation of public spaces for commercial purposes.
"There is no resolution that justifies wrongdoing. Occupying a corridor for commercial purposes violates urban regulations and the aesthetics of the city," he declared.
So far in 2026, the authorities in Avila have issued 276 fines for this reason.
The first offense amounts to 500 pesos; recidivism can reach 1,500 pesos.
In serious cases, the file is forwarded to the Ministry of Labor to manage the revocation of the self-employed worker's license.
Bernal also held the homeowners themselves responsible. "The homeowner must prevent vendors from setting up in their corridor," he said.
The authorities also announced the reinforcement of inspections in the historic center and the boulevard, and set up telephone numbers to channel reports.
"The city is the big house. If we visit Matanzas and see order, why wouldn't we want the same for Ciego de Ávila?" Bernal concluded in a comparison that overlooks the fact that the degradation of public space across the island is a consequence of the same structural crisis that drives people to sell wherever they can.
The measure comes in a national context of tightening the fine system. Starting in January 2025, Cuban inspectors will be compensated based on their results—specifically, the number and amount of imposed sanctions—a mechanism that has led to a surge in figures.
In 2024, more than 606,000 inspections were conducted, resulting in 371,333 fines totaling over 980 million pesos, according to official figures.
That model has generated allegations of arbitrariness. In April 2026, inspectors from the People's Power acknowledged having fined a self-employed worker without any violations because "they are required to deliver results."
One of the most notable cases occurred a few days ago when the only oncologist in Isla de la Juventud was fined 4,000 pesos for selling notebooks for 100 pesos at a garage sale in front of his house, which sparked a wave of outrage on social media.
Selling in marketplaces and public spaces is, for thousands of Cubans, a survival response to state salaries that are insufficient to live on and a widespread scarcity with no formal solution in sight.
Ciego de Ávila, known as the City of Portals, owes its nickname to the wide corridors with neoclassical columns that line the facades of the historic center, built primarily between 1906 and 1930, which are part of the urban identity heritage of the province.
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