NORTH MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - About 120 people have been forced to leave their homes after a structural engineer deemed their North Miami Beach apartment building unsafe.
Frustrated residents returned to their homes at Bayview 60 Homes, located around Northeast 168th Street, on Tuesday to retrieve their belongings.
“It’s honestly devastating,” said resident Florencia Gomez. “We’ve been here for seven years.”
“I have to bring all of the stuff out,” said resident Guillermo Graziano.
Graziano and his family are just a few of the people who were forced out of their homes Monday, after their apartment building was deemed structurally unsafe.
“I was told while I was walking my dog that we had to be evacuated from the building,” said resident Sebastian Rojas.
“I took almost all my stuff, just my furniture’s upstairs,” said resident Vicky Rodriguez.
Graziano said he has lived there for 17 years.
“It’s terrible,” he said.
Rojas said he and his family have been there for about 25 years. He said they’re frustrated that things got to this point.
“It’s astonishing, you know. This is where I grew up, having to take all of your stuff. You have to figure out what’s important to you, what’s not,” said Rojas.
Residents were shocked and confused as they made their way out and grabbed what they could, many not knowing where they would sleep.
“I don’t know what I have to do, and I don’t know where I have to go,” said a resident.
“We have the Red Cross helping all of the people that live in the building out, together with The Homeless Trust,” said North Miami Beach Mayor Anthony DeFillipo.
7News was told that repairs were being made to the building, but it got to the point where things were too far gone.
The closure comes after city engineers inspected the building and found critical structural damage, according to North Miami Beach City Manager Arthur Sorey.
“I think they thought they were gonna be able to fix the structural issues,” Sorey said. “It’s gotten to the point where they know they cannot fix them at this point.”
Sorey said the building owner is being cooperative as they figure out their next steps.
“They have been responsible,” he said. “They’re actually giving everybody their three days of hotel stays, reimbursable, at the hotel of their choice, up to $150 a day, and they are giving everybody their April rent back as well as their security deposits right now.”
“It’s pretty tough,” Gomez said. “You know, no one’s prepared. Everyone’s asking for two months, three months plus first month’s rent. We’re also paying a storage now to get everything in there.”
“It’s really just get your stuff out as soon as possible at this point,” said resident Austin Harper.
This is the second building in North Miami Beach deemed unsafe to live in in less than a year.
Close to 300 people were forced to evacuate the Crestview Towers back in July.
Amidst all the chaos, at least one man who spoke with 7News said he’s relieved.
“When I read the news this morning, I was like, ‘Someone is really looking over me,’” he said.
Just last month, the man added, he was in the process of buying this building from the owner.
“I felt like she was rushing me to close and rushing me to go hard on my contract, so I got out of the contract,” he said.
Residents said they were given notice to evacuate close to 24 hours ago, which led to some confusion and panic.
“With the information that I got, it wasn’t really clear if the building could go down now, so I was rushing, getting all my stuff,” said resident Francisco Musmano.
Cellphone video shows cracking on the floor near the building’s pool.
The city told 7News to give the building owner a few months to decide whether to continue with repairs or demolish the building.
If no action is taken, the city will recommend demolition to the county.
“Knowing what happened at Surfside, it’s like, you guys should’ve taken the measures to kind of give us a good enough amount of time, for us to be able to move out,” Gomez said.
“You take it with a grain of salt like anything else, but you know, it does hit you hard,” said Harper.
Residents were allowed back into the building until 11 p.m. Monday and again on Tuesday, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The city is working on a schedule to get larger items out of people’s apartments. That will start Friday, and will go through Tuesday, and then next Tuesday is when everybody will have to be out.
Anyone who knows anyone who lives in the area, or if you’re a resident, can call the Bayview 60 Homes resident hotline at 305-646-9101.
A spokesperson for Bayview 60 Homes on Tuesday issued a statement that reads, “Over the past few years, Bayview 60 Homes moved forward with planned safety upgrades, major renovations and routine maintenance to the property. As part of this work, the company hired a structural engineering firm to assess the integrity of the building. Upon being notified the building may be structurally unsound, the company notified the city and asked residents to evacuate to ensure their safety.
This is a heartbreaking situation, but the safety of residents is the company’s highest priority. Bayview 60 Homes is returning all security deposits and returning April and any prepaid rent to all residents. Bayview 60 Homes has also offered to provide certain financial assistance to help cover lodging costs for the next few days. We will also do everything we can to help residents retrieve their belongings during this incredibly stressful time. We are very grateful to the city and for everyone’s cooperation in helping us protect the safety of our community.”
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