Only 42 blasting complaints filed in Pembroke Pines. Are more going unreported?
While Miramar residents have filed thousands of complaints tied to blasting from quarry operations in northwest Miami-Dade, neighboring Pembroke Pines has recorded far fewer — just 42 complaints since 2023, according to data from the Miami-Dade blasting pilot program.
The figure stands in sharp contrast to nearby communities, where residents routinely report feeling vibrations, hearing loud booms and discovering cracks in walls, ceilings and driveways they believe are linked to rock-mining blasting.
In Miramar, nearly 13,000 complaints have been filed since 2023, making it the city most affected by blasting tied to quarry activity near Miami Lakes, which has recorded more than 2,000 complaints.
That disparity raises a question for readers in Pembroke Pines: Do you agree with the 42-complaint figure for Pembroke Pines? Or are blasts going unreported?
Pembroke Pines Vice Mayor Michael Hernandez, who represents the city’s southernmost and westernmost district, said residents living closer to Pembroke Road and near Interstate 75 appear to be the most impacted by the blasting.
“They are located much closer to the mining area,” Hernandez told the Pembroke Pines News on Thursday, Dec. 18. “I suspect there are more complaints from residents in the neighboring city of Miramar.”
Still, even a relatively small number of reports has raised concerns among Pembroke Pines homeowners, some of whom say the blasts are startling and unpredictable when they occur.
Residents who have filed complaints described brief shaking sensations and loud noises that disrupted daily routines and left them worried about possible long-term structural damage to their properties. Blasting for limerock extraction is regulated by the state, which limits ground vibration to 0.5 inches per second peak particle velocity.
Industry representatives maintain their operations remain within legal thresholds, while critics argue the limits fail to account for cumulative effects or repeated exposure over time.
Local and regional officials continue to urge residents in affected cities — including Pembroke Pines — to report every blast they feel to the state.
Currently, the Miami-Dade blasting pilot program is gathering the complaints and representatives from Miami Lakes plan to present them to lawmakers in Tallahassee at the next legislative session, which begins in January.
Pembroke Pines residents who feel their city is being undercounted in the blasting impact to their property can file a complaint through the State Fire Marshal’s Office portal. Click here.
This story was originally published December 18, 2025 at 3:29 PM.
