On the eve of a new summer, Rio City Hall has not yet resumed the registration or visual identification of street vendors who operate on the city’s beaches. The measure, considered essential to organize the waterfront and increase the safety of residents, tourists and workers themselves, had been initiated in previous years, but ended up being abandoned.
In March 2023, the Municipal Secretariat of Public Order (Seop) distributed around 400 vests and badges to street vendors, in addition to promoting conferences on good practices and operating rules. The initiative included an educational approach and a fine of R$420 for anyone not using an identity document.
The project began in 2019, was interrupted by the pandemic and resumed in 2023, but was abandoned again, according to residents’ associations. After more than a year, residents say no street vendors have been identified on the beaches.
— There is no point in creating new rules if there is no control. Thanks to identification, the consumer can separate the wheat from the chaff and avoid abuse — explains Horácio Magalhães, from Sociedade e Amigos de Copacabana.
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