The Limón REAL Project is a plan to transform this province into an island of prosperity through a framework of principles that will allow the reign of the free market and maximum personal liberty.

The project involves four phases: Conceptualization; research and start-up; marketing to the Limonenses; and policy implementation. The last three should be completed in four years.

Phase 1: Conceptualization. The project was conceptualized and put into book form, both in Spanish and in English, by Dr. Rigoberto Stewart during 1995-1999. Each year since 1995, Dr Stewart has spoken on aspects of the project at the world conventions of the International Society for Individual Liberty, and has benefited from the input of many participants at those conventions. He has also made many presentations to a broad cross section of Limonenses, including more than a thousand high school students. This phase is complete.

Phase 2: Research and Start-up. This began in January 2001 with the preparation of a preliminary strategic plan. The primary objectives are to establish headquarters and an office in the province, create the Limón REAL Association (done); conduct necessary legal, financial, and marketing research; and continue marketing the project to Limonenses. Legal and financial research will facilitate the design of formal investment mechanisms to be used for raising the funds needed in Phases 3 and 4. Legal research will also facilitate drafting the various agreements that will be needed for a smooth transition from the socialist central planning to a free market economy. Market research will be needed in order to design an overall marketing strategy. It will identify and characterize the different groups or segments of the Limón population, determine what marketing tool to use in each case, and how much funding should be allocated to each. Because opponents of the project will challenge it in many areas, task forces will be formed to counter their challenges. These will include experts in the most important areas, many of whom have already volunteered their services.

Phase 3: Marketing to the Limonenses. This phase begins when total financing has been secured and ends when a critical level of Limonense support has been achieved. It should last 12 months. In order to elicit this support, we will use an elaborate marketing strategy to convince the Limonenses of Limón REAL’s merits. This strategy will include, but is not limited to; disseminating written materials (including., project descriptions, books, and pamphlets, newspaper articles, papers); meeting with organized groups of all kinds (e.g., churches, clubs, and unions); producing audio and video materials (tapes, billboards, posters, logos, songs, radio and TV ads); appearing on television and radio talk shows; conducting seminars, conferences, workshops, forums, short courses, concerts, sporting events; and setup and promotion of a website.

Phase 4: Policy Implementation. This phase will begin once a critical level of support among the Limonenses has been achieved. Independent research, signatures on petitions, and membership in the Limón REAL Association will be some of the indicators used to determine when the critical level of support has been reached. The duration is 11 months: three months to negotiate the terms of the free zone with the Costa Rican central government, and 8 months to make all necessary preparations for free zone status.

Autonomy is a necessary but insufficient condition for achieving prosperity in Limón. Economic freedom is the key. Autonomy will enable the cultivation of an institutional structure and system based on the free market and protection of personal freedom. Some salient features of a society so structured are listed below. Research data, supportive arguments and operating details are provided in the book Limón REAL.