Mayor Leo Bezerra initiates João Pessoa coastal hub and joins federal ‘Safer City’ program

Mayor Leo Bezerra signed a land‑use agreement on 3 May for a parcel in the Cabo Branco neighbourhood that the Union has ceded to João Pessoa. The site will host the “Casa da Orla” project, featuring a marine‑ecosystem protection centre, cyclist support facilities and the first ocean observatory on a beach in Brazil’s Northeast. The initiative will be managed jointly by the city’s Environment and Youth‑Sports secretariats and aims to combine environmental education, research and tourism.

On the same day the mayor also signed a pact to include João Pessoa in the federal “Município Mais Seguro” (Safer City) program. The agreement brings roughly R$ 1.6 million in funding for new equipment, weapons, ballistic vests and training for the municipal guard, as well as capacity‑building programmes for community policing and gender‑based violence prevention. The program seeks to modernise public‑security operations and position João Pessoa as a model for municipal safety in Brazil.