Facts About The Florida and Miami-Dade Limestone Industry
(Sources: Florida Limerock & Aggregate Institute, the South Florida Mining Industry, and White Rock Quarries. Updated June 2006.)

Limestone aggregates and screenings are vital for the production of concrete bridge piers and spans (above), road base materials, asphalt pavement, concrete blocks, and tilt-wall construction (below).   Road base materials are used for construction of roads and highways.   Asphalt pavement is used for a range of transportation infrastructure, from roads and parking lots to airport runways.   Concrete blocks are one of the most commonly used building materials.   Flowable concrete is used for slabs, headers, and "tilt-wall" construction.

• Florida ranks third in the nation in the production and use of aggregate products, consuming about 153 million tons per year. About 60 million tons of that comes from the Lake Belt region in western Miami-Dade County.

• The Lake Belt region has the state’s highest-quality limestone able to produce aggregates that meet state DOT and federal highway and aggregate specifications for cement, concrete, concrete products and asphalt, which are needed to build roads, bridges, runways, schools, homes, hospitals, office buildings and public facilities.

• Limestone quarries contribute
to the region’s environmental
protection plans, acting as a vital water storage area and as a buffer between urban areas to the east and the Florida Everglades to the west.

• Miami-Dade’s limestone industry provides more than 14,000 jobs, has a $550 million payroll, and pays almost $22 million in local sales taxes and $10 million in property taxes each year.

• Through subcontractor Dyno Nobel, White Rock uses the most advanced and controlled blasting technology available, producing vibration levels well below established limits.

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