Unsafe conditions: Evacuation ordered for condo in North Miami Beach

NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — City officials in North Miami Beach ordered the evacuation of a condominium on Friday due to unsafe conditions.

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The North Miami Beach Building Department ordered the evacuation of the Crestview Towers Condominium because of unsafe structural and electrical conditions, WSVN reported.

Update 11:27 p.m. EDT July 2: The city of North Miami Beach has temporarily opened two community centers to offer housing to Crestview residents, Councilman Michael Joseph told the Miami Herald. Officials with the American Red Cross are also assisting in helping to find lodging for the displaced residents.

“A lot of people are going to be displaced,” Joseph told the newspaper.

Original report: The evacuation took place several miles north of the Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside, which partially collapsed on the morning of June 24. The death total in Surfside was updated to 22, with 126 people still unaccounted for.

The evacuation was ordered after a building inspection report was turned in by the condominium’s association on Friday, WFOR reported.

>> Surfside condo collapse: Death toll rises to 22; building will be demolished

City officials immediately launched a review of all condo high-rise buildings after the collapse of the Champlain Towers South condo, including the Crestview Towers, the Miami Herald reported.

The Crestview Towers is a 156-unit building, WSVN reported.

Residents were ordered to evacuate the building by Friday night, WPLG reported.

“Following the tragic collapse of Champlain Towers South on June 24, North Miami Beach immediately launched a thorough review of all condo high-rise buildings to determine if they are in compliance with county and city 40-year recertification process and certified as safe for occupancy,” City Manager Arthur H. Sorey III said in a news release. “Today, Crestview Towers submitted a recertification report dated Jan. 11, 2021, in which an engineer retained by the association board concluded that the 156-unit building was structurally and electrically unsafe.”

After the collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium, Sorey asked for an audit and review of all high-rise condo buildings, WTVJ reported. All buildings taller than five stories were examined to determine if they were in compliance with the county and city 40-year recertification process as of Tuesday, the television station reported.

After department files showed Crestview was not in compliance, an inspector visited the building, WTVJ reported. The Crestview Towers building manager brought a recertification report dated Jan. 11, 2021, to the North Miami Beach Buildings Department, where the association’s engineer said the property was unsafe, the television station reported.

“Nothing is more important than the safety and lives of our residents, and we will not rest until we ensure this building is 100% safe,” Sorey said in the statement.

Crestview was built in 1972, according to The Associated Press. The North Miami Beach Police Department was helping to evacuate residents.

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