Family agency pays $108,000 a month for unopened Bayamón mall offices
Puerto Rico's Department of the Family pays $108,000 a month to rent space at Santa Rosa Mall in Bayamón for regional offices that have not opened, Telemundo Puerto Rico reported on November 6, 2026. The space was still being fitted out, and the department said the opening was planned for November.
The lease was signed in January 2025 and costs about $1.3 million for every 12 months, with a cap of $6 million on the contract, the outlet reported. It said the agency has paid more than $2 million since 2025 for the unused space.
What the department told the outlet
In written statements, the department said the space has needed fit-out work to meet its operational and security needs, the outlet reported. It said the move is part of a plan to modernize its offices for employees and for the people it serves.
The new offices will have ample space, parking, air conditioning and areas set up to serve the public, the department told the outlet. They will also include space for minors who must stay for a time in the care of social workers.
The statements did not say how much has been paid so far, or why the fit-out has run on since the contract was signed, Telemundo Puerto Rico noted.
The permits for the space
The department's permits place the offices in units 36 and 37 on the first level of Santa Rosa Mall, on PR-2 at Avenida Main.
An environmental determination for the department's offices was filed on July 10, 2025, recorded as approved. A consolidated construction permit followed on July 15, 2025; it lists 90 days of work and shows no decision.
A single business permit for the offices was filed on December 22, 2025, recorded as approved. It lists 70 jobs. In November 2026 the offices were still closed, the outlet reported.
Other tenants at the mall
The mall stands on a property of 71,256 square meters. Its last recorded sale with a price was on February 8, 2008, for $14,000,000.
The property recorded 44 permit and certificate filings in 2026, 24 of them recorded as approved. Two were construction permits for other offices: customer service offices for an insurer, filed on August 12, 2026 with 90 days of work, and offices for the island's electronic toll system, filed on October 7, 2026 with 115 days of work.