The roar of the jet engines may be a sound you will hear more often in some South Florida neighborhoods because the Federal Aviation Administration is looking at changing the routes planes use to get in and out of the area's airports.
Beverly Hilton doesn’t want to hear the sound of jet engines going over her North Miami home.
"Our property values will absolutely be lowered," Hilton said.
Hilton found out from a neighbor that right in the middle of the pandemic, the FAA is looking at implementing new flight paths out of Miami International Airport.
The current path most flights use heading north goes out over towards Miami Beach and the water. The new path cuts through the neighborhoods up the Biscayne Corridor, north of downtown, and up into North Miami-Dade. It's several miles further inland.
"I sent them a note and asked them please to continue to channel it over the water instead of the residential, and it's not just me," Hilton said.
Residents say the planes will be coming at lower altitudes, bring more noise and pollution, and make their neighborhoods less attractive.
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The GPS technology, now in airline cockpits, allows pilots to fly directly to destinations and not have to always use the road maps in the sky built decades ago.
"If it goes through, planes will be going through at lower altitudes more frequently," said North Miami Councilman Scott Galvin. "What they are trying to do, according to the FAA, is save time and gasoline expenses by having the flights turn north quicker than they normally would."
The new paths cut through much of Congresswoman Frederica Wilson's district. She says residents started reaching out when they noticed more flights overhead. Wilson says the new routes were being tested and some areas near the beach were spared the noise.
"We have two Miamis — the very, very rich who you take care of, and those who are struggling, who you say let them bear the brunt of this noise, and we’re not going to stand for it," Wilson said.
The FAA held public meetings over Zoom to follow the legal requirements, but many who could hear the noise for years down the road are focused on the pandemic.
This fall the FAA will make a decision and plans to put the final routes in place next year. Residents have until 5 p.m. Friday to submit their input.
To view the flight plan, click here. To view the impact it has on your neighborhood, click here.
To submit comments for Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, click here. For Miami International Airport, click here.
