Miami Beach condo residents forced to evacuate glad needed repairs are being done
MIAMI - A Miami Beach condominium sat empty Friday morning after engineers deemed it unsafe and residents were forced to abruptly evacuate.
Thursday, Miami Beach engineers recommended that everyone who lives in the Port Royale building evacuate by 7 p.m. after serious structural issues were found with one of the support beams.
The need for repairs at Port Royale were actually documented as far back as July 2021. Documents released Friday – showed engineers proceeding with the "utmost precautions so that there are no safety concerns to unit owners and workers."
That record came just weeks after the Surfside collapse, as 6969 Collins underwent its 50 years recertification.
One woman who lives there said her landlord put her up in a hotel within walking distance and she's just glad they are taking precautions to keep everyone safe. Others also said they've been worried for a while.
"I see some parts of the slab falling apart. I see inside and I was very concerned. I see some cracks and then I drive into the parking spot and water came inside the building and it stayed there for a couple of days," said unit owner Marash Markaj.
The recent report focused on a structural beam that was moving and showing cracks.
"If I understand it correctly the main concern is some beam or girder that had deflected more than it was before," Allyn Kilsheimer, a structural engineer with KCE Structural Engineers said. Kilsheimer has also studied the Surfside collapse.
He hasn't been on the ground, however, he explained that repairs are routine on aging buildings, "Did it happen overnight? You'd have to understand the period of time it happened," he said.
Figuring out how long the cracks took to develop and deteriorate is important. "Whatever this is, it didn't make the building fall down, they realized they had to do something about it, and they did something about it, so God forbid if the building does come down, theoretically residents aren't in it," he explained further.
Built in 1971, Port Royale is 51 years old, and happens to be located just over a mile from Champlain Towers South.
"I'm really not happy but one side I say hey listen my life is more important," Markaj said about the wait to get back home. Engineers indicated the repairs will take about 10 days. After that, another inspection will determine whether the people who live there can move back in.
In Kilsheimer's experience, he said it is rare when repairs aren't enough and a building has to be demolished. "With enough money and time and expertise you can fix anything," he added.