Miami Says 8-Story Building Dangerous, Residents Forced To Leave

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The 138-unit building is located on Seventh Street in the Flagami neighborhood, just south of Blue Lagoon and Miami International Airport, spokeswoman Stephanie Severino said. It’s about 6 miles west of Biscayne Bay, much further inland than the Surfside Building which is under investigation after suffering a fatal collapse in June.
Buildings in the Miami area have been under increased surveillance since June 24, when much of Champlain Towers South collapsed in Surfside, killing 98 people.
The Miami structure evacuated overnight received a notice of violation on July 7, including a refusal to get its 40-year recertification, the city said in a timeline regarding the property. The Surfside building was undergoing its 40-year recertification when it collapsed.

Miami residents last month met with officials concerned about the condition of their building, and officials conducted an inspection on July 27, the city said.

“As a result of the inspection, the detached raised garage to the east was to be closed due to structural issues. The damaged columns on the first floor of the main structure required emergency shoring and a subsequent shoring plan had to be submitted immediately. Repair plans would be required before any other work, ”Severino said in a statement.

The city received a letter from an engineer on Thursday saying residents could stay in the building during emergency repairs, she said, but “no shoring plan or plans for repairs have been made. been submitted to the city “.

An inspector examined the structural work in progress on Friday and issued an immediate stop work order. On Monday, “the management of the building department met with the association of co-owners and the contract engineer to examine the unauthorized work. The result of the assessment revealed that the columns were structurally insufficient,” Severino said.

This led to the building being “vacated and unsafe for the current occupation,” she said.

No one answered the phone at the condominium association office. There was no option to leave a message.

Residents have been told they have until Tuesday morning to leave, according to CNN affiliate WFOR. They used plastic bins, suitcases and garbage bags to collect what they could before evacuating. Mya Castanedo described the situation as “very chaotic” and said residents at the station “were not getting a definitive answer on what was going on”.

The evacuated building is located between a gas station and an office building, and other condo towers and single-family residences are nearby.

Buildings in the area are getting closer

Problems with the building came the day after a fire that broke out early in the morning at Crestview Towers, north of Surfside, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said. Sixteen units responded to the fire around 4:30 a.m. Monday.

“Upon arrival, firefighters discovered a small fire in a second floor apartment, above the first floor parking lot. Firefighters entered and pulled a jump line using a 24 foot extension ladder to attack and put out the fire, ”the agency said. in an email to CNN.

A power outage could have caused the blaze, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said. The building was boarded up and vacant, so no injuries were reported.

About 300 people were evacuated from the building last month after North Miami Beach officials found it structurally and electrically unsafe based on an overdue recertification report for the nearly 50-year-old building, said the city ​​manager Arthur Sorey III at CNN at the time.

The recertification report was dated Jan. 11 but was not submitted until July 2, Sorey said. This caused frustration among resident Harold Dauphin.

He learned of the evacuation while picking up his 7-year-old child from the camp, he said. As Dauphin approached the residence, he saw helicopters flying above it and police officers going from floor to floor, helping with the evacuation, he said.

“I understand the call,” he told CNN. “It’s a great call to know what happened at Surfside. So prevention is better than cure.”

At the Surfside site, engineers and investigators continue to comb through the rubble, working to determine the cause of the collapse.

Miami-Dade County officials announced a series of “sunshine” meetings last week to discuss possible policy and legislative changes related to the collapse. The first of the meetings, which will include local, state and federal officials, is scheduled for August 30.

“As we now move forward in seeking answers and crafting policy solutions, it is just as essential for us to re-coordinate our efforts to ensure a comprehensive and whole-of-government response,” said Daniella Levine Cava, County Mayor of Miami-Dade. noted.

CNN’s Gregory Lemos contributed to this report.

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