BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — Noise complaints are piling up and WPTV is getting some answers for residents of the Monterey neighborhood– who tell us they’ve been living a nightmare with loud construction noise.
"Me and my husband we've woken up to our bed shaking, windows shaking cups rattling the whole house that's how we wake up," said Monterey resident Amelia Betancur. "And I have hurricane impact doors and windows, and this noise is going beyond that."
Resident tells WPTV how construction keeps her awake at night
Betancur's house is just yards away from the construction.
She said construction has been ongoing at all hours of the night for 8 months.
"The view was great; you could see the sunsets and sit in your back yard and enjoy it and it's definitely not happening now," said Betancur.
She said she has had to adjust her work hours to avoid the noise and gone as far as getting a hotel room to get some sleep.
"There's no movie night, there's no peaceful dinner unless you leave, it makes us want to move," said Betancur.
She attended a city commission meeting to address commissioners about the issues in her neighborhood.
City staff said the half million square foot industrial project is due to an exemption that allows the cement to cure properly and to avoid construction traffic onto congress avenue as it requires 100+ cement trucks for every pour.
Currently construction in the city operates off of it's noise ordinance which allows construction 7 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and no construction on Sundays or national holidays with some exceptions.
WPTV reached out city commissioner Angela Cruz who said the exemption for the industrial project was approved by city staff through a noise mitigation waiver.
She's hoping to implement stricter hours for construction as more construction is expected throughout the city of Boynton Beach.
"The people and the residents come first, we want to make sure that people have a right to a peaceful home," said Cruz. "They're property owners and all of this being a nuisance has really been troublesome."
Commissioners are considering creating a construction ordinance to model the city of Doral:
- 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. for business, industrial, non-residential areas
- 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays
- 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and in residential areas
- No construction on Sundays or national holidays
They also are looking into preventing construction within residential areas within a certain distance, with exceptions for emergencies.
"I thought it was in the best interest of the community and really a necessity at this point to make a change in our ordinances," said Cruz.
Cruz said a draft of the new ordinance will be addressed at the next city meeting.
It's a move some residents of Monterey tell WPTV is too late for them, as the damage is already done.
"We were completely caught off guard, we've voiced our concerns and we feel that not a lot is being done for us, where as special privileges are being granted to our neighbors here," said Dimitri Despointes.
He said neighbors are preparing a class action lawsuit as they claim the construction and its vibrations have caused structural damage over the last 8 months.
"The structural damage did not happen until our houses started shaking," said Betancur. "All of our houses are connected, all of them have cracks in their ceilings, my windows started leaking, none of that was happening before the vibrations."
Despoinets said the dust from the construction has become a health hazard for him and his neighbors.
"This whole project makes us feel like we no longer are living in a home, we're just in a rented AirBnB waiting for this nightmare to be over," said Despointes.
He said the noise and vibrations have made his residence a nightmare to live in, as he also works from home.
"We didn't ask for damages to our homes. If we're incurring damage someone's going to have to pay for it," said Despointes. "There's damage to the homes not just physical but mental having to endure this 24/7."
The project is expected to be completed in the next 3 months.
