Louis Sola’s Ambition and Amador’s First Seascape: Flamenco
Below is a partial view of Flamenco Island, where two of the main concessions along the Amador Causeway coexist: on the left, the facilities linked to the Fuerte Amador Resort & Marina (FARM), whose tourism project remains incomplete; and on the right, the area reclaimed by Amador Marina, a company that received more than 13 hectares in direct concessions of seabed and land without public bidding.
“Flamenco: Amador’s first seascape and Louis Sola’s ambition” refers to a controversial private marina project being developed on state-owned land on Flamenco Island at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal. The project is spearheaded by Louis Sola, the former president of the United States Federal Maritime Commission (FMC).
The Ambition and the Specifics of the Development are Highly Contested Due to the Following Details:
- The Promoter: Louis Sola, the driving force behind Amador Marina, S.A., is an American official who previously directed a luxury yacht company. Sola leveraged his federal position and testified before the U.S. Senate to defend the project and attempt to secure political support for his family’s investment.
- The Concessions: The project spans two highly prized, state-owned concessions in the Amador area:
- The Seascape (Seabed): An 11.3-hectare concession of the seabed (or “fondo de mar”) was awarded directly without public bidding by the Panama Maritime Authority in 2023, at a low canon of 15 cents per square meter. The Panamanian Ministry of Environment (MiAmbiente) approved the environmental impact study for this breakwater and marina.
- Land Use: A 2.7-hectare concession on dry land was awarded previously in 2021 by the Administrative Unit of Revitalized Properties (UABR).
- Controversies: The project has faced heavy local scrutiny from investigative journalism outlets like La Prensa, which detailed concerns over direct concessions being awarded without transparent, competitive public bidding. Critics and politicians have raised flags over conflicts of interest, Sola’s attempts to bring U.S. political pressure to bear on Panamanian authorities, and the fact that the land was originally meant for a Panamanian public aeronaval base.
