Community Chat

[Marp]

Excerpts from:  foxnews.com/us/miami-area-high-rise-evacuated-structural-concerns-surfside

City officials in North Miami Beach have ordered the shutdown and evacuation of a high-rise condo complex there, roughly a week after a deadly collapse left dozens of people missing in a neighboring community.

North Miami Beach Building Department officials ordered the evacuation of Crestview Towers Friday evening, according to a city spokesperson. Officials are working with the American Red Cross to find temporary shelter for the building’s residents.

"There has been no collapse and no one has been injured – this is a precautionary measure based on their inspection report," the spokesperson said.

The move came after the condo board turned in a building inspection report that found structural deficiencies.

"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 above five stories to determine if they are in compliance with the county and city 40 Year Recertification process and certified as safe for occupancy," the statement continued. "Today, Crestview Towers submitted a recertification report, dated Jan. 11, 2021, in which an engineer retained by the condo association board concluded that the 156-unit building was structurally and electrically unsafe."

The building was built in 1972, officials said, nine years before Champlain Towers South.

The 10-story high-rise apartment building has about 160 units and is about 25 miles northwest of the Champlain Towers South collapse site in Surfside, Fla., property records show.

The 11-page report, which the city released to the public Friday evening, shows engineer Robert Barreiro found distressed beams, columns, walls and other parts of the building during a January 2021 inspection.

He also found cracks and spalls throughout the structure and signs of moisture intrusion, as well as corroded rebar.

In a summary of the report, he wrote that he found the building "structurally no (sic) safe for the specified use for continued occupancy."

He found the building's masonry in "poor" condition and wrote that exposed steel had suffered a "fair amount of corrosion throughout."

[Mindy D]

Repairs on these  large older condos are going to cost much more than the residents can afford. This could change the whole condo market everywhere. This building is on a main   street. 

[Drythe]

@Marp 

Hard to believe it took this long to evacuate.

Seems that minimal caution would have evacuated at least for a thorough inspection.

[Mindy D]

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@Drythe wrote:

@Marp 

Hard to believe it took this long to evacuate.

Seems that minimal caution would have evacuated at least for a thorough inspection.

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@Marp @If the Champlain Towers would not have fallen I doubt that Crestview Towers would have been noticed by the city as showing up as unsafe in the inspection. I don't think that the report would have garnered closer scrutiny.  It looks like there's a mistake in the text* of the inspection report that, no pun intended, allowed the building to slip through the cracks if a city auditor had just skimmed its report and only read the inspection's summary.

I wonder what happens when a condo is found unsafe as far as its insurer? I'm pretty sure there are state laws here in Florida about this, I just don't know what they are. 

*"In a summary of the report, he wrote that he found the building "structurally no (sic) safe for the specified use for continued occupancy."

[Porcelain]

Along with older condo buildings, I wonder what is going to happen to high rise apartment complexes in Florida. You know there have to be some landlords scared out of their minds right now, remembering payoffs they've made and maintenance warnings they've ignored...And they assumed all along no one would check on what they were doing.

Tenants, as opposed to condo owners, could definitely sue landlords and building owners over creating an unsafe living situation. This may affect the real estate market in Florida in ways we can't yet begin to understand.

[Pearlee]

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@Mindy D wrote:

Repairs on these  large older condos are going to cost much more than the residents can afford. This could change the whole condo market everywhere. This building is on a main   street. 

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@Mindy D  I don't see why it would change the condo market  "everywhere."

[Mindy D]

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@Porcelain wrote:

Along with older condo buildings, I wonder what is going to happen to high rise apartment complexes in Florida. You know there have to be some landlords scared out of their minds right now, remembering payoffs they've made and maintenance warnings they've ignored...And they assumed all along no one would check on what they were doing.

Tenants, as opposed to condo owners, could definitely sue landlords and building owners over creating an unsafe living situation. This may affect the real estate market in Florida in ways we can't yet begin to understand.

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@Porcelain @Even without any payoffs or ignored warnings, buildings deteriorate here due to our tropical weather. For years, condos owners have seen huge special assessments to redo concrete that spalls here. Residents will often fight the board, asking for other expert opinions on what repairs are necessary and asking the board to get more bids to make the repairs. This can lead to delay in making repairs. The residents have every reason to question the information the accessors and contractors give the boards. Sometimes the repairs prove to be poorly done and some of the contractors have deliberately scammed some of the associations. 

[Marp]

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@Mindy D wrote:

Repairs on these  large older condos are going to cost much more than the residents can afford. This could change the whole condo market everywhere. This building is on a main   street. 

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@Mindy D,  I fully expect closer scrutiny and tighter inspections on all coastal high rises across the country and perhaps even those buildings that front fresh water.

[Marp]

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@Drythe wrote:

@Marp 

Hard to believe it took this long to evacuate.

Seems that minimal caution would have evacuated at least for a thorough inspection.

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@Drythe,  this is a different building located about 25 miles from the one that collapsed.  It is also about 9 years older than the one that collapsed.  I suspect this is the tip of the iceberg.

[Mindy D]

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@Pearlee wrote:

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@Mindy D wrote:

Repairs on these  large older condos are going to cost much more than the residents can afford. This could change the whole condo market everywhere. This building is on a main   street. 

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@Mindy D  I don't see why it would change the condo market  "everywhere."

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@Pearlee @because more buildings will be scrutinized and buildings could be scrutinized more often leading to more need for repairs to be made on condos. Additionally, because insurance companies will probably increase insurance premiums on condominiums as a result of the threat of increased payouts. Buyers will be more cautious about the purchase of condominiums after this collapse and it could make condos more difficult to sell. Buyers could be hesitant to buy if insurance premiums lead to higher hoa fees and if repairs lead to high special assessments. Ask yourself, would you buy a condo right now? Condo sales, at least right now, could easily be affected. Buyers want safe buildings and they don't want huge special assessments. They might not be buying condos with the gusto we have seen in the current real estate boom. Current owners of older buildings might want to get out before they have some problems in their buildings. If too many condos are for sale as a result of this possibility, prices will decline.