At least 26 South Florida buildings deemed unsafe, evacuated since Surfside condo collapse

In the aftermath of the Champlain Towers South collapse, South Florida's aging buildings have come under scrutiny, prompting more enforcement as well as evacuation orders. 

NBC6 found more than two dozen buildings have been evacuated across Miami-Dade municipalities. Most of them are near the coastline.

From June 2021 to now, at least 26 buildings in Miami-Dade and Broward were vacated and deemed unsafe. In Miami Beach alone, that list stands at 18 buildings. Some of those buildings, however, are no longer deemed unsafe and residents have been able to return.  

"Each municipality administers their own recertification program, each building official in each municipality administers their own buildings," said Sergio Ascunce, the deputy building official with Miami-Dade County. 

Miami Dade's Deputy Building Official said over the last two years, there have been no building evacuations due to an unsafe structure in unincorporated parts of the county. 

One change at the department after Surfside is an earlier notification to landlords and condo associations of an upcoming 30-year recertification.

"We started to notify buildings two years earlier, previously it was only 90 days. So now all buildings including condos have more time to prepare," Ascunce said.

The first building with an abrupt evacuation following the June 24 tragedy was Crestview Towers in North Miami Beach. 

"They knocked on the door and said you have two hours to leave," said Ramon Torres, a former tenant. 

A spokesperson for the City of North Miami Beach says the building is still deemed unsafe. Crestview currently has open permits for structural and electrical repairs.

Residents like Torres quickly learned there was no short-term fix, forcing his family to start from scratch.

"There were a lack of apartments and it was really hard for us to find a new a place, and finally we found one in Homestead," Torres said.

On Miami Beach, city officials say most properties that were vacated are working toward compliance. Port Royale, for example, is no longer deemed unsafe. The Devon Apartments applied for a demolition permit.

County building officials say in the last two years they've received an increase in calls from residents expressing concerns over unsafe structures.

"I do think the public is more engaged since this incident to make sure their buildings are being maintained and themselves residing in these buildings to ensure that their association is voicing their concerns and that they are being heard," said Chaveli Moreno of the code compliance division of Miami-Dade County. "So that also has helped in achieving compliance in unincorporated Miami-Dade County."

Miami-Dade County has added eight additional building inspectors since the tragedy in Surfside. They tell NBC6 they are working to respond to complaints within a one to two-day turnaround.