Miami Lakes Residents Concerned About Blasting Near Homes – NBC 6 South Florida

Miami Lakes homeowners gathered for a town hall Monday night to discuss the impacts from nearby mining and blasts they say are causing costly damage to their homes and properties.

The lime rock being mined is needed for construction, but the homeowners who live near the quarries say they feel the blasting has gotten worse.

“All of a sudden, it’s this roaring sound,” said Deborah Marrero, who lives just two miles from the blasting.

She said it has caused costly damage to her home.

“Every time the blast comes, the bottom part of my walls are starting to get cracks,” Marrero said.

She made it a point to speak out Monday night at the Miami Lakes Blasting Advisory Board’s town hall meeting. The meeting encouraged homeowners to join the discussion about the impacts of the blasting from nearby quarries.

“We have said that we will co-exist with them, but it’s come a time where we need to draw a line in the sand,” said Angelo Garcia, a member of the advisory board. 

The board is planning to take the feedback from Monday’s town hall to a roundtable discussion with the miners next month.

“How can we do it that the vibration is less to the homeowners and our damage is less?” Marrero said.

Florida State Rep.Tom Fabricio lives near the blasting himself.

“I do believe partly what we need to do is reduce that ground vibration so that the homes no longer shake,” he said.

Fabricio discussed his efforts in Tallahassee to solve the problem.

“We want to figure out a way we can live amicably with the industry because we do want lower construction prices, we do want that,” he said.

NBC 6 reached out to the major mining company discussed at Monday’s meeting and is waiting for a response.

In a previous statement, the company said, “Without blasting, building and construction would come to a halt, prices would rise and jobs would be in jeopardy.”