MIAMI.- The Majestic Isle Condominium building in North Bay Village has been declared unsafe by a construction engineer and residents have been ordered to evacuate.
The building engineer’s report indicates that the building has structural issues such as sagging floors and termite damage. Residents must evacuate the building by April 25 due to security concerns.
North Bay Village officials went door to door informing residents of the evacuation. They are currently working to help more than 50 people find accommodation by 10 a.m. Tuesday.
Dozens of residents have been ordered to evacuate their apartments by Tuesday because the building they live in was declared unsafe after failing its 60-year-old recertification.
To the naked eye, the building appears to be in good condition, but part of the roof has collapsed and has been declared unsafe.
A sign on their door ordering them to evacuate because the building is structurally unsafe is what neighbors found on their way home tonight:
Lenny Fagundo has owned his condo at Majestic Isles in North Bay Village for over 30 years and rents out the unit.
“I had to tell them that they had to leave suddenly. With so little notice, it’s difficult when they tell you to leave before Tuesday,” Fagundo explains.
City officials received a letter late Wednesday from a building engineer with serious concerns about the current condition of the building, deeming it unsafe.
The engineer cited sagging floors and termite damage. And due to flooding last week, there was a partial roof collapse.
“They’re worried about a crack in the tile and I ask them if they’ve opened the roof, if they’ve looked, if they’ve seen the termites. like that (…) you can’t do that to people,” Fagundo worries.
Officials told residents they had to leave by 10 a.m. Tuesday. Majestic Isles was built in 1960 and has 36 units, with nearly 55 residents.
An emergency meeting was held with the occupants of the building to discuss the evacuation. The move will be carried out in an orderly and staggered manner.
The mayor of North Bay Village says they are working to help people who will be evacuated.
“We got into action by looking for alternatives for people. Most of them will be able to find places with their families, with their people, that’s the situation for the majority. For the others, we looked for hotels, links in the community that can help them help, we even have a hotel in the community, we are in contact with them (…) so that they can receive people who do not have accommodation”.