Recreation & Sports asks for $79.3M in FY25‑26 to expand community programs, map facilities and rehabilitate Secader

The House Finance Committee continued its April 23 hearings with the Department of Recreation and Sports (DRD). Secretary Héctor Vázquez Muñiz presented the agency’s FY25‑26 priorities, asking lawmakers to restore much of a cut the department says will limit programming and facility upkeep.

The ask and why it matters Secretary Vázquez Muñiz said the DRD requested $79.3 million for FY25‑26; the currently approved allocation is about $59.6 million, leaving nearly $19.7 million in additional needs the agency described as urgent for programming, security, insurance and capital projects. He framed recreation as a public‑health and social‑development tool and emphasized programs targeted at children, seniors and underserved communities.

Major program proposals and capital needs - New and expanded programs: The department plans “Summer Grand PR” (a rebranding of the island games on a regional host model), “Recréate en Plenitud y Bienestar” targeting older adults, “Mi comunidad se recrea” (community‑level recreational programming), and “Downtown Shutdown” — a monthly pedestrian‑first weekend concept for high‑activity corridors. The secretary said the department intends to expand its Centers of Formation (free, year‑round training hubs that now reach about 66 municipalities) and to scale school sport programming organized by the DRD. - Security and operations: DRD seeks larger funding for its island‑wide security and inspection functions (the department requested roughly $1.2 million for security, up from an approved $656,000) and noted a recurrent shortfall in insurance premiums timing because policies run on a calendar year. - Mapping and digital inventory: Officials asked for a one‑time investment in a technology platform to map and verify facility ownership across the island (to clear longstanding confusion about which facilities belong to the state, which to municipalities and which to other agencies). Secretary Vázquez Muñiz said an initial estimate for the mapping work is about $250,000 and described it as a high‑value, one‑time investment. - Secader (Aguadilla) rehabilitation: The department proposed a high‑impact rehabilitation of the Secader complex at the former Ramey base in Aguadilla to support sports tourism; Secretary Vázquez Muñiz put a minimum investment figure at about $12.3 million to meet standards for attracting international events. - Athlete scholarships and anti‑doping: The DRD requested about $1.4 million to sustain athlete scholarships (per law 118 of 2001) and noted that the anti‑doping entity created by law 108 of 2022 — the Puerto Rico anti‑doping body — should receive roughly $400,000 this year; the department said those funds were not included in the current approved budget.

Partnerships and municipal transfers Committee members pushed on a recurring administrative problem: uncertainty about title and responsibility for municipal recreational facilities. Secretary Vázquez Muñiz said DRD has begun discussions with the municipalities and with technology and mapping vendors to identify facility ownership and to streamline transfers where municipalities can maintain and operate sites better than the central government. He told lawmakers a mapping platform will help clarify property title and speed transfers where appropriate.

Other notes from the hearing - The DRD asked for $500,000 to buy sports and event equipment and $100,000 to refresh IT and digital platforms for licensing and certification. The agency also described revenue‑generating potential through the sports institute (training, licensing, courses) that could help offset operating costs. - The secretary and his team highlighted an active calendar of events — including Special Olympics world competitions and new beach‑sport initiatives — as evidence of demand and programmatic momentum.

What happened next Committee members signaled support for the idea of facility mapping and for protecting funds that deliver community sports and senior well‑being. Several legislators offered conditional support and asked the department to submit more detailed costing for mapping, the “Muévete conmigo” senior program (estimates discussed in the hearing ranged from about $125,000 to $250,000 for pilot phases) and the Secader rehabilitation so the Finance Committee can evaluate the items against the Financial Oversight and Management Board’s review.

Ending note Secretary Vázquez Muñiz closed by describing DRD staff as a “dream team” committed to expanding recreation as a social‑development tool. Committee leaders said they will consider the agency’s requests in the technical review that precedes final budget action.