Miramar residents lead the region in blasting complaints. Have you filed one?
If you’re among the Miramar residents whose properties have been impacted by blasting from quarry operations in north Miami-Dade, you’re not alone.
Miramar leads the list of cities where residents have complained about blasting, filing 12,681 complaints since 2023.
That figure is more than twice the complaints filed by the next city, Hialeah, and six times more than the complaints from Miami Lakes, according to the figures compiled by the Miami Lakes Blasting Advisory Board, as part of a Miami-Dade pilot program on blasting.
Pembroke Pines also makes the list with 42 complaints.
Although Miramar banned blasting within city limits in 1999, the seismic effects of rock-mining activity in northwest Miami-Dade is still being felt inside the city.
Still, homeowners say the vibrations feel like small earthquakes and may be damaging their properties and should be addressed by the rock-mining industry.
Among the possible topics at the next Miramar Blasting Community Advisory Board meeting, scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 15, is the Miami-Dade pilot program led by Miami Lakes, which is collecting blasting complaints in hopes of documenting the scale of the problem and presenting the data to lawmakers in Tallahassee during the upcoming legislative session (Jan. 13-March 13).
This month’s advisory board meeting, scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 18, has been canceled because of lack of quorum.
Supporters say the goal is not to shut down the industry but to improve oversight and protect homeowners from blasting damages to their property.
A Facebook page called “Blasting Victims & Homeowners Seeking Justice” details the complaints of many residents impacted.
According to data culled through the pilot program since 2023, there have been 22,739 complaints filed in the Broward/Miami-Dade region as of early November. The complaints are broken up by zip codes.
Here’s a breakdown by cities revealed at the Nov. 5 meeting of the Miami Lakes Blasting Advisory Board:
- Miramar: 12,681 complaints
- Hialeah: 5,218 complaints
- Miami Lakes: 2,342 complaints
- Pembroke Pines: 42 complaints
New efforts by Miami Lakes to combat the rock-mining industry recently suffered a blow.
The town had announced plans in June to sue the state, describing Florida Statute 552.36 as unconstitutional because it blocks property owners and local governments from taking legal action for blast-related property damage.
Their only path for compensation is through the Division of Administrative Hearings.
But the town learned in November that it has no standing to file such a lawsuit against the state, according to the Miami Lakes Blasting Advisory Board.
The Miramar advisory board meets on the third Thursday of every month. The next meeting is scheduled for 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 15 at the Miramar Development Services Building, Engineering Meeting Room, 2nd Floor, 2200 Civic Center Place. The meeting is open to the public.
To file blasting-related complaints directly with the State Fire Marshal’s Office go to: mineactivityclearinghouse.myfloridacfo.gov
This story was originally published December 17, 2025 at 2:49 PM.
