MIAMI – City officials have deemed a Miami apartment building unsafe to live in — a sudden shock to the people who reside there.
Residents of the eight-story, 138-unit building at 5050 Northwest 7th Street were informed Monday that they must evacuate and were given time to collect items from their homes.
On Tuesday morning, residents were still seen removing items from their units, putting whatever they could manage to grab into their cars.
Mauricio Ponce of the Miami Building Department said that emergency reshoring needs to be done to alleviate some of the weight on the columns of the building, which was built in 1973. It is lacking the necessary 40-year recertification, which is the responsibility of the owner or condo association, he said.
The immediate danger is in the columns in the area of the driveway into the parking lot.
The building was put on notice more than a month ago, but there was never an application for permits to make the repairs. So, work was being done without permits, and the city shut that down.
Ricardo Rosa was among the residents evacuated, and he said building officials knocked on their doors Monday night telling them they needed to evacuate by 8 a.m. Rosa said many residents are staying with family but others like him don’t have that option.
Officials from the City of Miami said they are actively working to help find temporary housing for those who need it.
Sergio Torres of the city’s human resources department said they relocated 58 families to a Hampton Inn hotel and were getting another 15 families in there Tuesday.
Commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla’s staff is also assisting the residents, saying they can call 305-960-2890 or 305-569-3800 for assistance.