Hundreds of residents demanded evacuation after Miami condominium was deemed unsafe

Hundreds of Miami residents were forced out of their eight-story condominium on Monday evening after city officials determined the structure was unsafe.

The 137-unit building at 5050 NW Seventh St. has been placed under evacuation order, according to Miami building manager Asael “Ace” Marrero, NBC Miami reported.

“We obviously don’t think it’s safe,” he told the news channel. “The structural integrity has been degraded by the contractor carrying out the repairs he was not authorized to make.”

Ahead of Monday’s evacuation notice, city officials said the building was placed on the hazardous structures list in May based on images of property damage. The condominium was also found not to comply with the city’s recertification process.

On July 26, city officials, including Marrero, met with residents concerned about “the condition of the building,” according to the Miami Herald. City inspectors visited the building the next day and determined that the garage had to be closed due to structural issues.

Officials told the newspaper the property manager was asked to submit a plan to repair the columns on the first floor of his building, but he never received such plans and the building did not apply for a work permit. to make repairs.

On Thursday, the city said an engineer sent a letter to officials saying “the building is safe for current occupancy while emergency repair work continues,” the Miami Herald reported.

Marrero said inspectors visited the property on Monday and determined the repair was “not adequate for the support” of its columns. The inspection, he said, prompted the city to order residents to vacate the building.

“We have a lot of elderly owners here who have nowhere to go,” said resident Dmidry Asanov. “Some have the Covid, others cannot walk.”

The city is working with residents to help them find temporary accommodation, Marrero said.

The building was scheduled to be part of a hearing during a panel on the city’s dangerous structures on August 20.

The building’s condominium association did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

Since the partial collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida, which left 98 people dead, authorities have sought to revise the structural integrity of the buildings. The tragedy prompted the city of Miami Beach to immediately order building inspections.

Last month, the Crestview Towers condominium in North Miami Beach was evacuated after construction officials determined it was unsafe. A fire was put out on Monday in the 156-unit building. Authorities said no injuries were immediately reported and the cause of the blaze had not been determined.