Miami Beach condo residents forced to evacuate glad needed repairs are being done
By WFOR Staff
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MIAMI (WFOR) — 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 property is currently undergoing recertification and the problem was found during repair work.
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.
Some residents say 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.
Port Royale is on Collins Avenue less than a mile and a half from where Champlain Towers South collapsed in June 2021, killing 98 people.
“I was really concerned because the building collapsed in Surfside and then my daughter said I can’t sleep because I’m really scared,” said Markaj.
Residents said they were frustrated that they had to pick up and leave, but without the needed repairs they also didn’t want to stay.
Engineers say the repairs are expected to take about ten days.
After that, another inspection will determine whether the people who live there can move back in.
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