Residents were ordered to evacuate an apartment building in North Miami Beach, Florida, on Monday after city officials got word that the five-story structure, just miles from the site of the Surfside condominium collapse, was deemed “structurally” unsafe.
The evacuation was ordered for Bayview 60 Homes after city officials received a letter from Bronislaus P. Taurinski Structural Engineers, a firm hired by the property owner, that called for an immediate evacuation “due to the deflation in the elevation of the building’s floor slabs,” according to a press release.
“The City is working with the owner to ensure that all residents will receive proper assistance as they relocate within the next 24 hours,” said North Miami Beach City Manager Arthur Sorey. “The safety of the residents is our number one concern and we’re working as quickly as possible to mobilize our resources to the building site.”
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The structural problems were identified as the building was undergoing repairs ahead of its 50-year recertification inspections.
The engineer’s report calling for the building’s evacuation was sent to city officials on Friday after office hours, but it wasn’t seen until Monday morning, Sorey told the Miami Herald.
The apartment building stands a little over 5 miles from where the Champlain Towers South in Surfside once stood. That building partially collapsed last June, killing 98 people.
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This is the second evacuation of a building that has been ordered in wake of last year’s collapse, which prompted increased scrutiny of building maintenance and inspection practices. Last July, North Miami Beach ordered the evacuation of a 10-story condominium, and residents have not been allowed to return since.
Those displaced by the evacuations will receive a full refund for April’s rent, according to the city.
