Miami‑Dade Limestone Products Industry

The highest quality limestone aggregate in Florida comes from western Miami‑Dade County. Only a few locations in the state produce high quality limestone aggregate products that meet state and national specifications for cement, concrete, concrete products (paver bricks, roof tiles, gunite for pools, power poles and blocks), and asphalt. These products are used to build schools, homes, hospitals, offices, and the roads you travel daily.

Florida consumes over 139 million tons of aggregate per year. It is the 2nd largest state in consumption and production of aggregate products. 60 million tons per year come from western Miami‑Dade County. Because of a lack of any other suitable aggregate, and the high quality of Miami‑Dade product, aggregate from this region is shipped by rail all along the east coast of Florida as far as Jacksonville, as well as to Orlando, Tampa, Ocala.

The Miami‑Dade limestone products industry results in more than 7,000 direct jobs and 7,000 indirect jobs producing a $550 million payroll, in Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. The industry pays more than $22 million in local sales tax per year and almost $10 million in local property taxes per year.

In addition to the thousands of jobs that the industry provides for the citizens of Miami-Dade County, product utility and efficient transportation make this limestone among the most cost effective in the nation. Florida ranks first in the lowest construction cost for homes and construction of commercial and industrial construction. It would cost the people of Miami-Dade County an additional $800 million dollars and the State of Florida an additional $1.5 billion dollars for their basic building materials, if the Miami-Dade County limestone products industry did not exist.

The limestone products industry recognized the importance of the limestone deposit in western Miami‑Dade County and has purchased approximately 40 square miles of mining reserves over the last 50 years. These purchases were largely based on the fact that the property was zoned for mining and agricultural use only (CDMP designation as open lands).

The westward push has not only moved neighborhoods closer to the limestone quarry operations but it also created concern by the government and environmental community about protecting the Everglades from urban sprawl. Government and environmentalists recognized ongoing and continued limestone mining as a natural buffer. To balance the need for Miami-Dade limestone with environmental priorities, the Florida state legislature established a Lake Belt Committee in 1992 to develop a plan for western Miami‑Dade limestone mining and land use. Implementation Legislation was passed and signed into law in 1994, 1997 and 1999. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District plan for Everglades restoration includes the Miami‑Dade limestone quarries as a vital water storage area and buffer between urban areas and the Everglades.

The limestone mines use the most advanced blasting technology available. Miami‑Dade County existing blasting limits are at a level 62% below the no‑damage level established by the U. S. Bureau of Mines. The industry understands the perception and concern that blasting could damage structures and is committed to informing the public and addressing these concerns. Careful monitoring with highly accurate seismic instruments shows the levels are well within safe limits with little or no risk of damage.

In addition to a reliable and economical supply of basic construction material for the future, jobs, payroll and tax revenues, the citizens of Miami‑Dade stand to gain a water storage area, wellfield protection, an Everglades buffer, and a potential recreation area. None of this would be possible without the limestone products industry, its mining and the blasting, which makes the mining possible.

The Miami Dade Limestone Products Association has billions of dollars invested in Miami‑Dade County and the distribution network in Florida that are tied to their limestone products operations. If limestone mining is restricted or curtailed the industry stands to lose business, but the people of Miami‑Dade County and Florida will lose much more.