MIAMI (WFLA) — Residents of a Miami-Dade condominium building were ordered to evacuate Thursday after an engineer determined the structure was unsafe.
In a letter to North Bay Village officials, an engineer raised major concerns about the safety of the Majestic Isle condominiums, which were constructed in 1960. The engineer inspected the building following a partial ceiling collapse last week, but the problems spread beyond the five affected units.
The report cited “sagging floors and termite damage” in the 35-unit building, North Bay Village spokesperson Julie Leonardi said in a statement to WPLG.
“Due to last week’s flooding causing a partial ceiling collapse in several units, only 31 units are occupied at this time,” Leonardi told WPLG. “Residents will be allowed back inside at a later date for a complete move out. North Bay Village Police Department will be monitoring the move out and will conduct it in a staggered fashion, allowing only a few units per day, with light loads.”
Officials went door-to-door to tell residents about the evacuation. The Miami-Dade County Office of Housing Advocacy and the Homeless Trust were called to help people find a place to stay.
“North Bay Village and the community are stepping up to help displaced residents until they can come back home,” North Bay Village Mayor Brent Latham said in a statement to NBC affiliate WTVJ. “We are here for the affected residents for as long as they need us, to help see them through this difficult time.”
The Majestic Island condominiums are located on Harbor Island, just miles from the town of Surfside, where 98 people were killed after a condo building collapsed in 2021.