DANIA BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - After the wall of a Dania Beach building partially collapsed, the future of the structure, and the businesses and residences inside are now in question.
Traffic on Federal Highway was greatly blocked while crews worked the scene. However, all traffic north and southbound has been diverted to the western side of the road, allowing for some alleviation of congestion.
However, the question of what to do next in regards to the building still lingers.
One construction worker at the scene said it could be another week before they figure out how to clean up the debris.
The building, which has businesses on the bottom level and apartments on the top level, has been evacuated, and the structure has been condemned.
Marty Hanna, who owns a business across the street said he is not surprised this all happened in the first place.
“They’ve been excavating over there for about a month, and we can feel the vibrations on this side of the street,” he said. “I read an article in the paper this morning that that building is 90 years old, so it certainly doesn’t surprise me that the infrastructure and the slab probably in the wall were weak to begin with.”
“I heard all kinds of stories: that they dug too deep on the foundation and it slid off,” said business owner Steve Redler, “but it’s a hundred-year-old building.”
Nearby businesses had to close as well when Federal Highway was shut down.
“They closed three blocks of Federal Highway, and not only was the street closed, then they closed off all the sidewalk,” Hanna said.
“I left early, so it gave me the afternoon off,” Redler chuckled.
According to the City of Dania Beach, the decision of what to do next with the building falls to the owner. He can either have it torn down or repaired. However, depending on what brought the wall down in the first place, the owner may have some of the money returned to him.
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