Top court ruling unleashes permit upheaval in Puerto Rico

By DÁNICA COTO
Associated Press

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A ruling by Puerto Rico’s Supreme Court has thrown into limbo hundreds of thousands of business and construction permits issued by a U.S. territory already struggling to attract investors amid an economic crisis. Government officials on Thursday sought to quell anxieties over fallout from the ruling. It upholds the decision of an appeals court that voids a document from 2020 that regulates the use of land and the granting of permits on the island. The ruling released Wednesday prompted the government to take the unprecedented step of temporarily suspending access to the website where people apply for permits. Access was restored Thursday, but confusion still reigned.