The upper floors of the Broward County Courthouse that were evacuated last month over structural concerns are set to reopen.
Engineers determined the building to be structurally sound and safe after conducting extensive inspections, testing, and evaluation, county officials said Thursday.
The top floors of the building were vacated on Jan. 20 after cracks were found on the horizontal beams above the roof structure on the 21st floor.
Photos from the Broward County Public Works Department showed the cracks that were found in concrete at the top of the building.
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The rest of the building had been open and operational.
“There is no imminent danger for these beams and we can reoccupy these top four floors,” said Director of Broward County’s Public Works Department Trevor Fisher.
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Fisher said the credit-card sized cracks were caused by an installation flaw. The design called for twice as much rebar every 12 inches along the beams, but for some reason when constructed, rebar was left out.
Broward County Chief Judge Jack B. Tuter, Jr. has been briefed about the findings and is working with officials to determine when the top floors will be reoccupied.
The public works department is working with engineers to determine the plan to repair the roof beams.
Out of an abundance of caution, crews are also performing structural reviews of other areas within the building.
"I would like to thank everyone for their patience while we conducted the necessary inspections with internal and external experts. Public safety of the employees and visitors at the courthouse was and will continue to be our priority," Broward County Administrator Monica Cepero said in a statement.
