The closure of Vulcan Materials Company’s operations in Calica, Mexico, has affected Florida’s limestone supply, according to Titan America.

As early as 2007, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) recognized that there were insufficient limestone reserves in Florida to continue to meet the state’s demand for up to 150 million tons per year of construction aggregates. 

FDOT further identified that rail and marine import infrastructure limited the external supply of these annual construction aggregate needs. 

In May 2022, Titan America refers that the situation was further exacerbated when the Mexican government abruptly shut down Vulcan Calica, an operation that remains out of service today.

Calica

In May 2022, Mexican government officials “unexpectedly and arbitrarily” shut down Calica’s operations in Mexico, according to Vulcan Materials Company.

From the perspective of then President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Calica’s operations generated a negative environmental impact: the extraction of limestone material, carried out in a mining area near the Xcalak National Park, posed a threat to this fragile and biodiverse ecosystem.

In addition, the Mexican government pointed out that Vulcan Materials’ activities were damaging local ecosystems. Among the main affected were coral reefs and groundwater.

Litigation

Vulcan Materials Company is the largest producer in the United States of stone building materials, primarily crushed stone, sand and gravel, and a major producer of stone-based building materials, including asphalt and ready-mix concrete. 

In September 2024, the Mexican government ordered the definitive closure of quarrying activities already suspended at Calica. In addition, it imposed restrictions on certain operations at the Punta Venado port facilities.

Lopez Obrador signed a presidential decree declaring all of Calica’s properties a “Protected Natural Area”. This decree, among other measures, prohibits Calica from extracting stone or construction materials on its land.

On the other hand, Vulcan Materials considers the actions taken by Mexico to be arbitrary and illegal. For this reason, the company will vigorously pursue all available legal avenues to defend what it considers to be its affected rights under both Mexican and international law.