Building Nearby Surfside, Florida Condo Collapse Ruled Unsafe

Another apartment complex in Miami, Bayview 60 Homes, which is near a condo building in Surfside, Florida, that collapsed last year, has been ordered to be evacuated after it was determined unsafe by engineers. The five-story apartment building had to be evacuated within 24 hours according to a statement released by the City of North Miami on Monday.

According to the city, the safety issue was raised by engineers in a letter to the city when they found it during preparations for repairs. The engineers said the building had “critical structural issues” stemming from “a deflection in the elevation of the building’s floor slabs.” Residents will receive a three-day hotel voucher, a full refund of April rent, and a return of their security deposits and have an opportunity to take larger furniture later this week.

Last year, nearly 100 people died in Surfside after Champlain Towers South collapsed, and this isn’t the first building in the same area to be evacuated since that tragic collapse. Regent Palace, was evacuated last July as well after an inspector flagged structural problems with the building. Fittingly for the name, there were 60 apartments in the Bayview 60 Homes building which means a lot of people are out of a home on short notice.

“The safety of the residents is our number one concern and we’re working as quickly as possible to mobilize our resources to the building site,” said Arthur Sorey City Manager of North Miami Beach in the City’s official statement. Sorey added in a conversation with Times Union that the building had particularly affordable rent prices for the area, and “that’s going to be the issue right now with those individuals trying to find something along the same lines and the same price.”