Residential Impacts from Mining Activities

This bill is about rules for mining that happens in Florida, in or near places where many people live.

• Mining: Digging out things like sand or stone from the ground so they can be used to build roads, buildings, or other things.

• If passed, this bill changes part of Florida’s set of laws to make it safer for people who live near places where mining happens.

• This bill:

  • Explains what important words mean:

    • “Blast survey”: a check up that writes down what nearby properties are like before mining happens that blows stuff up. 

    • “Operator”: a person that uses items that can blow things up.

    • “Protected structure” a building in an area where people live, like a school, hospital, nursing home, or place for utilities like water.

    • “Residential protection zone”: an area within two miles of a blast site, where protected structures are located.

    • “Root cause analysis”: a process to find out why a blasting happened to stop future blasting.

      • Blasting: using small explosions in mining to break up rocks or sand so it can be dug out.

  • Says the Division of the State Fire Marshal is the only one who can make rules for things that blow up while doing mining.

    • Division of the State Fire Marshal: The part of the Florida government that makes sure that rules about blastings are followed.   

    • The Division has to set these rules within a certain amount of time.

  • Sets rules about blasting for inside and outside of areas meant to protect people who live there.

  • Makes some people keep track of and write down where blastings happen.  

    • This tracks specific info with professional tools that are tested every year.

  • Makes The Division post info from where blasts happen to their website for people to see.

    • This information has to be kept in writing for a certain amount of time.

  • Makes operators give a warning about when each blasting will happen, to people within a certain distance of the place where the blast will happen 

    • Asks operators and local leaders to put links on their websites so residents can sign up to get the warnings 

    • Makes operators post a monthly blasting schedule on the division’s website  

  • Limits blasting to certain days and times  

  • Makes operators pay for a blast survey before the blasting happens, from an outside company if people ask for it.

  • Makes operators to provide a blast survey after the blasting if certain things happen

  • Allows some local leaders to set up and run their own seismographs

    • Seismographs: Machines that can feel or keep track of the ground shaking, to see how much of a rumble a blast makes.

    • These local leaders can get money back for things they had to spend money on to do this.

  • Adds punishments for breaking rules in the bill 

  • Changes ways to and fixes for turning in paperwork to complain about damages caused by exploding things and related materials

    • Gets rid of any costs for turning in paperwork to complain.

    • Makes the Division of Administrative Hearings the only group that deals with these complaints.

      • Division of Administrative Hearings: The part of Florida’s government that handles complaints.

    • Someone who’s complaint is correct can get back the money they spent on getting a lawyer to help them

  • Makes a case against an operator if certain info is shared  

    • The operator can argue against this if they have clear and convincing proof.