Dear Neighbors, Happy New Year! We hope you had a nice holiday season and a much needed break from the blasting. This is a long email, but we encourage you to read it until the end because it contains many important updates. It was brought to our attention that the updates sent via email were not being received. To ensure that you receive all our communications, we ask everyone to please sign the petition so you can get the emails from Change.org directly, and to follow us on our various social media sites: Facebook and Twitter: @nomoreblasting NextDoor: Riviera Isles As some of you probably remember, immediately after the publication of this article about blasting in the Miami Herald (http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article187589028.html), the Miami-Dade Limestone Products Association stopped posting the weekly blasting schedule. For that reason, it is now more important than ever that you help us keep track of the blasts by sending us an email every time you feel one. The email can be short or long, whatever you prefer. The reason why it is important to keep the emails coming is because the new study is going to take place this year, starting on January 31st. The company that was awarded the contract is called Respec (http://www.respec.com/). The material to be analyzed will include blasting activities reports, blast complaint reports, regulatory permits and, if available, blaster’s reports and other seismographic reports. This means that the ONLY material pertaining to the residents that will be reviewed are the blasting complaints that you submit. We depend on YOU to make sure that our testimonials are considered. This is an election year and there are currently two candidates for the position of Florida's Chief Financial Officer: Jimmy Patronis (R) and Jeremy Ring (D). As a reminder, the CFO also serves as the State Fire Marshal, who in turn is permitted by law to modify ground vibration limits as per Chapter 552 of the Florida Statute. If we have a CFO who is sympathetic to our cause, we can get the levels reduced. Senator Jeremy Ring already established his position with the following official statement: "CORAL SPRING, Florida – After hearing from the residents of Riviera Isles and other areas affected by mining related blasting Former Florida State Senator Jeremy Ring, Democratic candidate for Florida’s Chief Financial Officer, released the following statement: 'There's an old expression that says a man's home is his castle. Unfortunately for the people of West Miramar and Northwest Miami-Dade, their castles have been under siege by frequent high-intensity blasting at White Rock Quarries. For the thousands who live in the surrounding communities, the blasting is more than just a nuisance, it has caused physical damage to their homes and exacerbated psychological conditions like PTSD to members of their community. Their concerns are not unreasonable and their voices deserve to be heard. I believe that person's home should be their sanctuary not the source of their anxiety and as Florida's next CFO, I fully support lower blasting levels in residential areas and a fair process that compensates homeowners for associated damages to their property.'" Since we still have not heard back from the current CFO (R) Jimmy Patronis, we encourage you to reach out to him and ask him to give us his position (email: cfo.patronis@myfloridacfo.com). If you receive a response from him, please share it with us. Never before has the position of CFO been so crucial to a specific community as it is for us. There is a law firm that specializes in Insurance Claims and that has been holding meetings to get residents to sign with them. We want to remain impartial on this issue, as legal processes are always expensive and risky. We recommend that you do your own research and decide what is best for you. We recently became aware of a final order issued by the State of Florida Division of Administrative Hearings in February of 2017 in a case titled, Gateway Estates Park Condominium Association vs. SDI Quarry (Case number 16-1025CM). This decision clarifies some important points in regards to the administrative claims process as well as the cause/effect relationship between blasting and damage to property. The full text of the decision can be found following this link on the DOAH website (https://www.doah.state.fl.us/ROS/2016/16001025.pdf), we HIGHLY recommend that you read this decision. Finally, if you have damages remember that you need to document them with pictures, videos, etc. The blasting problem was only a nuisance before, and it seemed like nobody was paying attention. Thanks to your involvement, we have accomplished a lot, and we are closer to a solution. Let's keep up the good work. Don't get comfortable. Election years are crucial, especially for us, considering that state elected officials are the ones who can end this problem once and for all. We are stronger together! Thank you for your continuous support! Respectfully, Riviera Isles Blasting Committee