Evacuated condominium building in Miami Beach near the one that collapsed

An evacuation order abruptly forced residents out of a 14-story oceanfront building on the same avenue where a condominium collapse killed nearly 100 people last year.

The city posted an unsafe structure notice Thursday night at the Port Royale condominium, Miami Beach spokeswoman Melissa Berthier said in an email.

A structural engineering report prompted the evacuation of the 164-unit structure, which is in the process of undergoing required recertification. An engineer discovered that a main support beam identified for repair 10 months ago had shifted and a crack in the beam had expanded, and other structural supports may also need repair, the report said.

At least one observer said the damage extends beyond a single support beam.

“There are cracks in the column, cracks in the foundation, I mean in the garage, in the two storage garages, there are cracks in the beams, everywhere,” he told WPLG-TV Marsh Markaj, a resident of the building who said he works in construction and noticed the problems.

Inspection Engineers Inc. he said in a letter to the city that he is working to obtain a permit from the city so that “comprehensive shoring” can be installed within 10 days. That will be followed by another inspection of the building, which was built in 1971.

During an inspection about 10 months ago, engineers found “areas of concern that we have designated as a priority for repair,” Arshad Vioar said in an email to the Miami Beach Building Department.

The building association selected a contractor and the repairs began about four weeks ago. The firm that inspected the building was asked to supervise the work and this week “noted that one of the main beams in the garage had experienced a structural deflection of approximately ½ inch and also the existing crack that was marked for repair had spread. ”, Vioar said in the email.

Port Royale is about 1.3 miles (2 kilometers) south of the Champlain Towers South condominium building in Surfside, Florida, also on Collins Avenue, where 98 people were killed in a June 2021 collapse.

The disaster at the 12-story oceanfront condominium building in Surfside sparked the largest non-hurricane emergency response in Florida history, including rescue teams from across the United States and as far away as Israel to help local teams search for victims.

Other buildings in South Florida have been evacuated over similar safety fears since the Surfside collapse.

The Champlain Towers South collapse focused scrutiny on the structural integrity of Florida’s older condominium towers, especially along its shorelines, and the state has since moved to strengthen laws requiring regular inspections and recertification of buildings. .

Miami-Dade County had required the first recertification only after 40 years, and the Surfside building was undergoing that recertification process when it collapsed.

New state rules enacted in May require buildings to have their first recertification after 30 years, or 25 if they are within 3 miles (5 kilometers) of the coast, and then every 10 years thereafter.

Miami-Dade now also requires building owners to provide up to three months of housing and associated costs if officials determine their building was unsafe as a result of negligent maintenance.

Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channel Youtube and turn on notifications, or follow us on social media: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.