In the aftermath of
the Champlain Towers South collapse, South Florida's aging
buildings have come under scrutiny, prompting more
enforcement as well as evacuation orders.
NBC6 found more than
two dozen buildings have been evacuated across Miami-Dade
municipalities. Most of them are near the coastline.
From June 2021 to now, at least 26 buildings in Miami-Dade
and Broward were vacated and deemed unsafe. In Miami Beach
alone, that list stands at 18 buildings. Some of those
buildings, however, are no longer deemed unsafe and
residents have been able to return.
"Each municipality administers their own recertification
program, each building official in each municipality
administers their own buildings," said Sergio Ascunce, the
deputy building official with Miami-Dade County.
Miami Dade's Deputy
Building Official said over the last two years, there have
been no building evacuations due to an unsafe structure in
unincorporated parts of the county. |
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One change at the
department after Surfside is an earlier notification to
landlords and condo associations of an upcoming 30-year
recertification.
"We started to notify buildings two years earlier,
previously it was only 90 days. So now all buildings
including condos have more time to prepare," Ascunce said.
The first building with an abrupt evacuation following the
June 24 tragedy was Crestview Towers in North Miami Beach.
"They knocked on the door and said you have two hours to
leave," said Ramon Torres, a former tenant.
A spokesperson for the City of North Miami Beach says the
building is still deemed unsafe. Crestview currently has
open permits for structural and electrical repairs.
Residents like Torres quickly learned there was no
short-term fix, forcing his family to start from scratch.
"There were a lack of apartments and it was really hard for
us to find a new a place, and finally we found one in
Homestead," Torres said.
On Miami Beach, city officials say most properties that were
vacated are working toward compliance. Port Royale, for
example, is no longer deemed unsafe. The Devon Apartments
applied for a demolition permit.
County building officials say in the last two years they've
received an increase in calls from residents expressing
concerns over unsafe structures.
"I do think the public is more engaged since this incident
to make sure their buildings are being maintained and
themselves residing in these buildings to ensure that their
association is voicing their concerns and that they are
being heard," said Chaveli Moreno of the code compliance
division of Miami-Dade County. "So that also has helped in
achieving compliance in unincorporated Miami-Dade County."
Miami-Dade County has added eight additional building
inspectors since the tragedy in Surfside. They tell NBC6
they are working to respond to complaints within a one to
two-day turnaround.