Dickerson Florida, LLC. Proposed Mining Site

Three weeks ago, we received a call from one of the neighbor telling us - "there's a meeting going on regarding the rock mining proposal". We live 300 yards away from the proposed site and we never received any notice. Dickerson-florida, LLC has been working on this proposal since year 2002 and it was just last March 2004 when the notice was posted.

Dickerson-Florida, LLC. wants to convert a 964 acre orange grove farms owned by Northwood, LLC. into a limestone mining area. The area is situated near farms and residential areas as well as horse ranches and a mile away from Florida Rock, Inc and the protected Environmetally Significant Land -Paleo Hammock housing some of the endangered species of animals and birds. For more information.

Here is an aerial map of the proposed mining site.

According to their proposal, at least a minimum of 550 trucks will be coming in and out of the mining area, every minute from 6am to 6pm daily from Monday-Saturday, and will use the unpaved & dusty Carlton Road and the already beaten Glades Cutoff Road, and that their mining operation will be quiet and we won't even notice they'll be working at the site!

Last March 25, 2004 - their representative, requested the meeting to be postponed on April 15, 2004, being "not ready" or "was not expecting a huge crowd of residents against the mining proposal" - in which they stated that "the area is uninhabited by people. SO WHAT ARE WE?

They decided to hold a "private meeting" with the residents on April 7, 2004. At the meeting, their so-called "health representative & silicosis expert"-Mr. Stuart which is not a doctor/ physician reiterated that "the dust from their mining activity is not harmful and non-breathable, dust particles are bigger in size, and will not enter our nose".

That Florida's aquifers and our wells will not be affected and yet findings are Florida is running out of good water supply and water table is getting lower and some nearby wells have already seawater intrusion! Floridians have been constantly advised by SFWM to conserve water, rationing has been implemented in most areas, and monitoring wells have been stationed to check the aquifers' condition! More info

WATER SEEK ITS OWN LEVEL -as aquifers a series of underground aqueduct.

The value of every single property will go down. After all who wants to live near a mining field!

Most important issue is how this destructive mining will affect the Paleo Hammock -for more info. More link down below.

If you want more information, please click on the background info button found on the left side.

Other U.S. states & counties have or are starting to pass ordinances regarding blasting in mining to protect not only the people but also the infrastructures such as roads, houses, buildings, tanks, etc.

If we do not put a stop and minimize these nature-raping activities now, and think about a responsible growth, we and the future children will wake up one day and realize what we have been taking for granted is gone forever!