Safety concerns prompt second Florida condo building to evacuate

The city of North Miami Beach on Friday mandated the immediate evacuation and closure of an apartment building following a failed inspection.

A report on the Crestview Towers Condominium found structural and electrical concerns that prompted Miami officials to take immediate action, The Miami Herald reports.

The 156-unit building, built in 1972, was the first complex to be shut down since the Surfside, Fla., condominium collapse, officials said.

In an email to NBC News, Capt. Juan Pinillos of North Miami Beach police said, “The police department is making every effort to ensure the residents in those buildings are evacuated safely efficiently.”

After the Surfside Champlain Towers South collapse, which resulted in the death of at least 22 people, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava ordered inspections of all high-rise buildings. 

After the Crestview building’s condo association on Friday presented the results of a January inspection that deemed the building unsafe, officials opted to act out of an “abundance of caution.” The report showed the North Miami Beach building was not in compliance with the county and city’s 40-year recertification process, NBC Miami reported.

A full structural assessment will be carried out to determine how to proceed with building residents, North Miami Beach City Manager Arthur H. Sorey III said, according to the Herald.

He added, “Nothing is more important than the safety and lives of our residents, and we will not rest until we ensure this building is 100% safe.”