Miami building residents ordered to evacuate after building deemed 'unsafe'

Residents of an apartment complex in North Miami Beach were ordered to evacuate on Monday after officials claimed the building was “structurally unsound,” the city said in a statement. 

Bayview 60 Homes, a five-story building, is the second building in which residents have to evacuate after the collapse of Champlain Towers South in June last year, which killed 98 people. 

Bayview 60 was built in 1972 and has 60 apartments. The city said it was undergoing its 50-year recertification process and had been under renovation. 

On Friday, an engineer sent an email to the city and the building owner saying that the building was unsafe due to “a deflection in the elevation of the building’s floor slabs.” He recommended that all residents evacuate. 

After receiving the email, City Manager Arthur Sorey said they contacted the building owner and developed an evacuation plan. 

“We did speak with the owner and advised the owner that they should have closed the building,” Sorey said. “But once we got the information, we went out and did what we needed to do to protect the lives of North Miami Beach residents.”

Residents were given three-day hotel vouchers. In addition, the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust and the American Red Cross offered to help the residents with housing. Furthermore, the building owner will return their security deposit and this month’s rent. 

“One thing to note is the rents in this building that just closed are between $1,500 and $1,900 a month. And if you know anything about South Florida that is very cheap rent right now and affordable,” Sorey said.

“That’s going to be the issue right now with those individuals trying to find something along the same lines and the same price. It’s going to be very hard.”

After evacuating, Residents were allowed to return to the building to retrieve small items. They will be able to move furniture starting on Friday.