Mesothelioma: The case of Miami, Florida

Mesothelioma: The case of Miami, Florida

Miami was originally known as Biscayne Bay Country. It became an incorporated city in 1896 with a population of three hundred (300). The city is the only major city that was conceived by a woman- Julia Tuttle. Julia Tuttle, a citrus grower, convinced the Florida East Coast Railway to expand their railroad to the region. This promoted the city’s growth and development. Julia Tuttle became known as the ‘mother of Miami’.

The city is located on the southernmost coast of Florida and has a port called the Port of Miami. The Port of Miami

Miami, Florida Seal

accommodates some of the largest cruise ships in the world. As a result the city is known as the Cruise Capital of the World. The city is the forty second (42^nd) largest city in the United States.

The Florida land boom at the start of the twentieth (20^th) century made the city prosper. The southern Florida coastline and the Miami River were the perfect combination for shipyards. As a result in 1917, the city became home to a number of shipyard companies including:

• American Boat Building
• Jones Boat Yard
• Merrill Stevens Drydock
• Miami Dade Drydock

World War II saw the city put in a position of military importance. When German submarines attacked American ships off the coast of Miami, it was up to military personnel in the city to defend these attacks.

Asbestos Exposure

The city has many job sites where asbestos containing products were used and where asbestos exposure occurred. There are a number of job sites that have been identified as harboring asbestos containing materials, some of them are:

• Coconut Grove Incinerator
• Lincoln Tower
• American Boat Building
• Eden Roc Hotel
• Linde Air Products Company
• Power Brothers Construction
• Fitzgerald Energy of Florida
• Dania Powerhouse
• Jones Boat Yard
• Merrill Stevens Drydock
• Miami Dade Drydock