Miami courthouse to undergo repairs amid safety concerns

The Miami-Dade County Courthouse will undergo repairs amid safety concerns following an inspection, officials announced Friday.

Officials said in a statement that all business at the courthouse will be conducted virtually. Judges and court staff will begin working remotely “until further notice” starting July 12.

The statement was issued by Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava (D), Miami-Dade Circuit Court Chief Judge Nushin Sayfie and Miami-Dade Clerk of Courts Harvey Ruvin.

The officials said that “safety concerns with various floors” had been identified by engineers, who recommended that floors 16 and above be closed to staff while repairs were underway. 

The Miami-Dade Internal Services Department had already assigned a team to begin the repairs immediately, officials said. The basement area of the building is undergoing further inspection for any additional repairs.

Levine Cava gave brief comments on the building’s closure during a news conference on Saturday.

“We know there have been problems in this building,” Levine Cava said. “Some structural concerns were identified, some columns that needed to be some support work that needed to be done.”

“This was known, and the activities had continued, but given the circumstances, we’ve already authorized that repair work to begin. And so hopefully it can be done quickly and then return to normal operations,” she said.

The 28-story building, completed in 1928, is where most civil cases are heard, according to The Associated Press.

Engineers were asked to conduct the inspection following the collapse of the Champlain Towers South residential building in Surfside, Fla., which has resulted in the deaths of at least 86 people as of Saturday. Levine Cava ordered an inspection of all high-rise buildings after the collapse.

Another residential building, Crestview Towers Condominium in North Miami Beach, was evacuated earlier this month after a failed inspection.