Condo crisis hits Pembroke Pines apartment complex, forcing residents to move out
PEMBROKE PINES - Between relentless rain showers, the last of the residents at Heron Pond Condominium packed up moving vans on Thursday to meet a midnight deadline for eviction.
Jaz Alfonso said the city helped her find an affordable alternative. "When we moved in, it was just the balcony. It's been more in the past year. I'm relieved it's over," she said.
The exodus for the 300-unit complex off Pembroke Pines Boulevard has been going on for a year, after some buildings were found to be unsafe.
On the outside, you can see cracks, rotted wood, and crumbling balconies.
The community, which was built as an apartment building in the 1980s, was turned into condos about 20 years ago, but a lack of maintenance and unpermitted repairs, according to the city, caused a severe decline in the complex.
A full evacuation was ordered after a recent engineering report found widespread structural damage. A result of exposure to the elements, including moisture and termites inside many units, are well maintained, and that's what's so heartbreaking for owners like Gloria Betancur, who has been paying her mortgage steadily.
Michael Padilla is helping Gloria move. "It's killing her. It isn't right. She's been here 18 years," he said.
The city says water and electricity will be shut off soon.
It's not known whether anyone will ever be able to return. The complex is in receivership, and the future is unclear.