An apartment building not far from the Surfside building that collapsed last year has been evacuated after being found structurally unsafe
Mark Humphrey/Associated Press
- A Miami Beach apartment building was evacuated because of structural issues on Monday.
- The building isn't far from the Champlain Towers South Condo that collapsed last year.
- Engineers found safety issues with the floor slabs at the Bayview 60 Homes.
An apartment building in North Miami Beach, Florida, not far from the Surfside building that collapsed last year was evacuated on Monday after engineers found it structurally unsafe, officials said.
In a statement, North Miami Beach officials said the owner of the Bayview 60 Homes property asked the city to order an immediate evacuation after Bronislaus P. Taurinski Structural Engineers issued a report that called deemed the building unsafe after a months-long investigation.
According to the statement, the owner of the building began repairing units in July 2021 ahead of the building's 50-year recertification inspections.
Engineers sent the city and owners a letter advising for immediate evacuations because the "deflection in the (floor) slabs is exceeding the ACI (American Concrete Institute) guidelines for two-way slabs."
Last June, the 12-story oceanfront Champlain Towers South Condo in Surfside, Florida collapsed killing at least 95 people.
Following the collapse, it was revealed that an engineering firm had found "major structural damage" to the building in 2018.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava then ordered an audit of all the county's residential buildings that were older than 40 years and at least five stories high. The audit lead to several buildings being evacuated because of structural issues found.
Arthur H. Sorey, III, City Manager of the City of North Miami Beach, said the city is communicating with the property owner to make sure all residents are safely evacuated and receive "proper assistance as they relocate within the next 24 hours."
"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" Sorey said.
The property owner will fully refund residents their April rent and security deposits. Residents will be allowed to return to the building to remove large items like furniture later this week. A hotline has been set up to assist them.