–
(CNN) — The city of North Miami Beach ordered the evacuation of a five-story, 60-unit building Monday after an assessment by a South Florida engineering firm found the building to be “structurally unsound.”
The city received a letter from an engineering firm on Monday notifying the property owner and city officials of its findings after a months-long investigation, a statement said.
The apartment building, Bayview 60 Homes, was built in 1972, according to the release. Fifty-five of the building’s 60 units were occupied as of Monday, city officials say.
The building is about 5 kilometers north of the Champlain Towers South building that partially collapsed last summer.
Since last July, several units in the building have been undergoing repairs ahead of the property’s 50-year recertification inspections.
Susset Cabrera, director of communications for the city of North Miami Beach, told CNN Monday that the building’s owner “verbally requested that the city order an immediate evacuation of residents” according to the engineering report.
In the April 1 report, Bronislaus P. Taurinski Structural Engineers, the engineering firm contracted by the owner of Bayview 60 Homes, found that the building needed to be evacuated due to a deviation in the elevation of the building’s floor slabs.
“The deflection in the slabs exceeds the guidelines of the [Instituto Estadounidense del Concreto] for two-way slabs,” according to the letter.
Cabrera says the property owner told residents to evacuate at 2 p.m. Monday. It’s unclear if residents received any other advance warning.
“You have 24 hours to remove your personal effects. The city will schedule a time for residents to return later this week to pick up heavier furniture and large items,” Cabrera said in an email to CNN.
In July, the city of North Miami Beach ordered the evacuation of a 10-story building, Crestview Towers, after a report determined the building’s structure was unsafe.
“Crestview residents have not been allowed to return to the property because structural repairs began two weeks ago,” Cabrera told CNN.
“Electrical repairs have not yet begun. Therefore, the building remains unsafe until the property completes the necessary repairs to reoccupy it,” it added.
–
