The city of Miami Beach ordered residents of a 164-unit condo tower to evacuate the building Thursday, 27 October, 2022 after engineers found significant damage to a critical structural beam in the parking garage. Miami Beach spokesperson Melissa Berthier said around 4 p.m. Thursday that the city planned to post an unsafe structure notice and order residents of the Port Royale Condominium at 6969 Collins Ave., to vacate the 14-story building immediately. Shortly before 5 p.m., the condo board sent residents a mandatory notice to vacate the premises by 7 p.m. As that hour approached, residents scrambled to gather their belongings, load up their cars and arrange for temporary housing.
Engineers are recommending that additional “shoring” — a method of reinforcing areas that need repair — be installed in the garage to support the damaged beam. They say they expect it to be in place within 10 days of late October.
But it wasn’t immediately clear when residents will be allowed to return. Several tenants said they planned to stay with friends nearby. Others made hotel arrangements. “A lot of people have lived here for a very long time,” said Gladys Martin, 78, who planned to stay at a friend’s house down the street.
Martin said she wasn’t surprised by the news, given the building’s general appearance compared to other, more modern structures in the area. “Look at this building,” she said. “Look at the others.”
Under a Miami-Dade County ordinance passed after the June 2021 Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside, building owners are required to provide up to three months of housing and associated costs if officials determine their building was unsafe as a result of negligent maintenance. The city of Miami Beach went further in an ordinance that received final approval from the City Commission on Wednesday, saying building or unit owners must cover the costs regardless of who is deemed at fault.
Representatives for the condo board could not be reached for comment.
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