Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava returned to the Country Club of Miami a second time in 2023 to hear property owners’ concerns about damages to homes that they blame on limestone mining.
Just over 60 residents from the northwest section of the county and Southwest Broward County attended the Dec. 11 meeting.
“[It’s a] very critical issue that has had an impact on this community for many years,” Levine Cava said.
Homeowners complained about having to change their water filters and cracks in their houses and their pools.
Lidiette Esquivel of Miramar uses a spreadsheet to track blasts and had photos of cracks in her home.
Property owners didn’t get the news they have hoped for – that mining companies would consider lowering the intensity of blasting and the subsequent vibrations that jar their homes – because the industry is regulated by the state.
Fla. Rep. Tom Fabricio R-Miami Lakes has sponsored House Bill 245 which is currently in the Regulatory Reform & Economic Development Subcommittee. It seeks to specify ground vibration limits for construction materials for mining within one mile of certain areas and authorizes the state fire marshal to modify standards and regulations for use of explosives.
“The blasting lobby is much larger than I am,” Fabricio said. “While I fight for this issue every single day, most other members [of the legislature] don’t live within 1,000 yards from a limestone quarry.”
Fabricio said quarries located just west of Miami Lakes and south of Miramar are the most active in the state. Florida is the biggest purchaser of mined limestone.
Fabricio said negative impacts from blasting upon properties will become a more widespread issue for other counties and cities as the population grows and mining operations move.
Miami Lakes Vice Mayor Tony Fernandez, Councilman Josh Dieguez and Blasting Advisory Board Chair Miguel Martinez attended the meeting.
Residents were advised to continue to report the issue on the Mine Activity Clearinghouse website at https://bit.ly/3tt0YMU.
The 2024 legislature convenes Jan. 9.