Jul 13, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Miami apartment building evacuated because of deteriorating concrete

Ivana Saric

An aerial view of the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South in Surfside. Photo: Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images

The city of Miami ordered residents of an area apartment building to evacuate on Monday due to concrete deterioration concerns, NBC News reports.

Why it matters: The evacuation notice comes just weeks after Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava ordered an audit of all buildings over 40 years old in the area, following the deadly collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida.

The big picture: The 82-year-old Indian Creek Drive apartment building has been slowly evacuating residents since May, when the owners decided the building would be demolished this December, per NBC News.

Manny Vadillo, a lawyer for the building owners, told NBC News that 14 people remain in the building and have until the end of the week to move out.

Of note: The apartment building is "at least the fourth" in Florida to be evacuated or partially evacuated in the wake of the Surfside collapse, according to NBC News.

Earlier this month, city authorities ordered the evacuation of the 156-unit Crestview Towers over structural safety concerns.

What they're saying: "My clients are extremely sensitive to safety and, in fact, visited the property several times since last week to speak with tenants when communications started with the city to ensure tenants were not caught by surprise," Vadillo told NBC News. "Some tenants have been there many years."

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Miami apartment building evacuated because of deteriorating concrete

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