This Florida area wanted to cut the dust from construction. Are the new rules working?

Miami Herald

21-03-2025

Nearly a year after first raising concerns, residents say developers in Manatee County have not resolved dust issues from a nearby construction site.
The Bradenton Herald reported on similar complaints last April when residents of the Foxbrook subdivision in Parrish said heavy dust from a new housing community caused respiratory issues, poor driving conditions and expensive cleaning costs. After Manatee County government put new rules in place last year, the same problems remain, residents say.
After hearing from residents last year, county officials put rules in place requiring developers to create a dust control plan to limit construction impacts on neighbors. Builders must limit land clearing to 100 acres at a time, halt construction activity when wind speeds are above 15 mph and place sod in cleared areas.
If developers fail to control the dust leaving their construction sites, they have to shut down construction for a first offense, shut down construction and pay a fine for a second offense and create a revised dust control plan for a third offense.
A Manatee County plans to discuss new solutions at an upcoming public meeting. In the meantime, residents say the construction of the nearby Rye Ranch community is causing the same problems as before.
'No regard for the neighbors'
Kim Bruenner, 61, who lives with her husband in Foxbrook, said she wants county officials to hold developers accountable for the dust storms.
'They're approving all this development, and they have to do it in a responsible way that's not going to cost their taxpayers thousands of dollars in damages to their home and personal property, and perhaps even be risking their health,' Bruenner said.
Marcos Alvarez, 40, who lives with his wife and three young children in Foxbrook, said he sprinkled water to keep the dust down when he built his home.
'They should be held to the same standards as anyone building their house,' Alvarez said.
Charlie Terenzio, 36, who lives with his wife and two young children in Foxbrook, said Lennar is not working hard enough to protect residents living across the street from their construction site.
'They have no regard for the neighbors,' Terenzio said. 'They're not really planning for the long-term health of the community, but more so how much land can they tear up and turn into profits as quickly as possible.'
Developers respond to dust concerns
Danielle Tocco, Miami-based Lennar's vice president of communications, told the Bradenton Herald in a statement that the company is addressing complaints from residents about the dust from Rye Ranch and other nearby developments.
'As one of many builders in the area, Lennar takes community concerns seriously – which is why our construction area is 95% stabilized with mulch and other measures to minimize blowing dust,' Tocco said. 'High winds have disturbed some of the other construction zones to the west and southwest of us, but our team is working diligently to minimize impacts on neighbors.'
Tarak Patel, D.R. Horton's Sarasota division president, told the Bradenton Herald in a statement that the company is taking steps to reduce pollutants from their construction sites.
'D.R. Horton and our third-party developers establish stormwater pollution prevention plans and follow the recommendations and best practices established by the EPA on dust control when developing land and constructing homes,' Patel said.
Construction dust is a problem for residents in other parts of Manatee County, too. On Tuesday, county officials halted construction at the new SeaFlower community 'because there was not sufficient dust mitigation,' according to county spokesman Bill Logan.
Commissioner Carol Ann Felts, who represents District 1, which includes Parrish, said she wants to see stricter rules for developers.
'I think what really brought this to the forefront was that we were having the same issue in town,' Felts said. 'It's not just people that are out in the boonies that are dealing with this. It's everybody's problem.'