Residents In Florida Evacuated From Crestview Towers Over Structure Concerns

Residents of Crestview Towers, a Miami high rise, were given mere hours to collect their belongings and find temporary residence after they were ordered to evacuate Friday by midnight in an emergency effort.

An inspection of the 156-unit building revealed structural and electrical concerns. Built in 1972, all buildings over 40 years old must undergo and pass an inspection.

The evacuation of residents was a “precautionary measure” to prevent a potential repeat of the disastrous collapse of Champlain Towers South last week.

On Friday, a building manager produced an engineer’s report from January that suggested condemnation of the building, citing structural and electrical problems making the building unsafe.

Crestview had posted on their website that the city had demanded the lighting work for the 40-year certification, “which is something we could not postpone any longer.” The notice did not mention the cracked concrete and corroded rebar outlined in the engineer’s report.

Crestview’s building certifications were nine years overdue for inspection; they owe over $600,000 in fines. According to residents, the building was in poor condition and in desperate need of repair.

Resident Miguel Jiménez said, “Everything is damaged in this building, everything,” recalling the loud cracking sound he heard last week and the time a pipe burst, flooding all the units in the building, leaving the floors in ruin. The floors have yet to be fixed.

After the tragedy of Champlain Towers, North Miami Beach’s city manager ordered an audit on Tuesday and sent Crestview another notice along with a fine.

The president of the condominium’s board reached out to their lawyer, Mariel Tollinchi.

She stated that the board did not agree that the evacuation was necessary and that the engineer’s report from January exaggerated the cracks and other issues. She noted that the board had engaged another engineer to provide more details and that they were gathering estimates for the necessary repairs.

“A subsequent inspection was had of the building recently, and an unofficial report was released by that engineer saying that the building is actually safe for occupancy and that the repairs on the structure and electrical can be done with the residents there,” said Tollinchi.

Structural repairs were estimated to cost roughly $250,000. The required electrical work was estimated to cost “in the millions,” Tollinchi claimed, adding that unit owners were already paying up to $300 per month in assessments to fund the project.

There are approximately 150 residents who are without a temporary place to go. They have been offered several solutions, one of which includes shelter at the county fairgrounds 40 minutes away.

The American Red Cross and other groups helped build the makeshift shelter at the E. Darwin Fuchs Pavilion at the Miami-Dade County Fair and Expo Center at University Park, located at 10901 SW 24th St.

“This is not something we would ordinarily do,” said Ron Book, chairman of the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust. “We are in a unique time in this community … It was our goal to try to find a very quick solution.”

Residents should be able to return to the building within 30 days.

 

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