Owners of a condominium near Miami International Airport aired their grievances in a protest Thursday over worries about the condition of their buildings, saying there's cracking, roof leaks and other "alarming" issues.
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Homeowners said they spent several months
begging the HOA board to pay for an inspection of the
building.
In March, the engineers hired for the inspection released a
300-page structural report of the Blue Lagoon that stated,
"the damages shown do not cause a danger to life or safety."
It continues, "The exterior walls and balcony slabs ... are
generally in good condition. However, some of the damages
require immediate attention to prevent further and costly
repairs."
"Homeowners do not agree with this, because the video and
pictures they've been collecting and sharing to their
private FB group shows the complete opposite. The evidence
is quite alarming," a news release stated.
Homeowners said the work that was recommended in March
didn’t start until today.
“But I know that there are issues and the board wasn’t
taking it seriously, that was our main concern," said Maria
Lozano, who organized the protest. “It doesn’t make us feel
comfortable. You wouldn’t. Nobody would feel comfortable.
Plus we have a pool that is on the roof and it also needs
major repairs, and we have no reserves and that is all due
to the current board."
Homeowners also claimed the condo board waived funding of
reserves without a proper owner vote. Starting in 2025,
state law will require condo boards to set money aside to
cover future major repairs.
An attorney representing the Blue Lagoon told NBC 6 they
have nothing to hide and said the buildings are in no
imminent danger of collapse.
Residents aren’t convinced the building is safe to live in.
"We’re very worried that if we don’t fix it now, it’s going
to get worse and worse, and you know what happens, there’s a
building across the street that got condemned and we don’t
want to be in that same situation," Tehan said.