It’s time to go.
Everyone who lives at the Regent Palace condominium saw the
destruction at Champlain Towers, less than six blocks away,
and they don’t need to be forced out. They’re leaving or
they’ve already left, voluntarily.
“Honestly, you know,
the building was analyzed and deemed unsafe, so we’re not
gonna take any risk, you know a couple of blocks down, a
building actually collapsed so we don’t want anything tragic
to happen,” said Theo Magnat, a Regent Palace resident, as
he was moving out Tuesday.
The building was constructed 70 years ago on the beach at
93rd and Collins. The residents hired their own engineering
firm to inspect the property, before the Champlain Towers
collapse, and the report came back a couple of weeks ago
showing severe issues.
The Town of Surfside’s building department sent the Regent
Palace condominium association a letter saying immediate
action was needed. In boldface font, the email said in part,
“Place shoring around all damaged columns, do not wait for
building permits to do so, it is imperative that you act
immediately without delay.”
“I believe we are doing what is necessary to protect people
and property,” said Joerg Dokondke, the condominium
association’s president.
He says they started installing the extra shoring supports
even before the town ordered them, and said it was a direct
result of the Champlain Towers calamity. A wake-up call to
action. |
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A Surfside condo building not far from the collapse
site of the Champlain Towers South has been evacuated.
WATCH
VIDEO
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“Or to consider warnings that at one
point people would not recognize as warnings, consider them
more serious, that’s what we do here,” Dokondke said.
The head building
official for the Town of Surfside told me what they’re doing
at Regent Palace is exactly what every condominium should be
doing, and that is, being proactive.
“So as you can imagine, with an older building there’s
always something, cracks and this and that,” Dokondke said.
“There were probably half a dozen places where I saw cracks
that I’d want to look at a little bit more,” said Allyn
Kilsheimer, a structural engineer who’s been hired by the
town to investigate the Champlain Towers failure.
Kilsheimer took a quick look at Regent Palace but says he
did not see enough to determine if it’s safe or not. He did
praise the residents there for doing what he says everyone
should do.
“You know, if you see something that worries you in a
building you ought to say something,” Kilsheimer said.
Dokondke said it’s likely the property will be sold to a
developer who will demolish Regent Palace and build
something new in its place. |
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Another Miami Beach Condo Being Evacuated after
inspectors say the building has evidence of deterioration and
spalling concrete. NBC 6's Sasha Jones reports.
WATCH
VIDEO
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