Elderly Florida residents are being asked to leave their pricey apartments immediately as officials warn of “structural problems” with the building’s foundation.
Springbrook Gardens is urging its 12 residents to evacuate on Friday, leaving many in distress as they look for a new place to stay.
Evacuation notices have been slapped on the 18-unit building after an engineer told the city’s building department that the foundations in one of the sections are in poor condition and could collapse at any time.
‘Everyone was in shock. It hasn’t dawned on me yet, it really hasn’t. [We were told] building is unsafe, go away,” said Warren Sackler, a retired professor in New York.
The warning comes shortly after it was revealed that faulty support columns in the tenant garage and pool deck led to the collapse of Champlain Towers South, Miami in 2021 – resulting in the deaths of 98 people.
The city of Fort Lauderdale is urging Springbrook Gardens homeowners to evacuate today afternoon, leaving many in distress and looking for a new place to stay
Some residents also announced that they received an evacuation letter from an engineering firm yesterday morning.
“When we got up, we got a letter from the engineer who was sent to town telling us to come down and evacuate us immediately because the winds are over 55 miles an hour and the wind could blow it down,” Thomas Murphy narrated WSVN.
Since the engineer’s report, the certificate of occupancy for Springbrook Gardens has been revoked by city officials until “necessary structural repairs can be made to ensure the safety of residents,” according to NBC6.
‘I don’t think they can fix the building. The engineer told us that repairing just one part would cost $1 million. We don’t know what the total amount is to fix everything,” Sackler revealed.
According to Douglas Ellimana four-bedroom, five-bathroom apartment currently costs $1,499,999 in this 1978 building.
Sackler also revealed that he paid $370,000 for a one-bedroom apartment in 2007 and bought the apartment next door in 2016 for $358,000.
Some residents also announced that they received an evacuation letter from an engineering firm yesterday morning
‘Everyone was in shock. It hasn’t dawned on me yet, it really hasn’t. [We were told] building is unsafe, go away,” said Warren Sackler, a retired professor in New York
According to Douglas Elliman, a four-bedroom, five-bathroom apartment currently costs $1,499,999 in this 1978 building
Although the professor “got lucky” and found another apartment across the street, many are still struggling to find a home as Hurricane Helene continues its rampage across the state.
“Some people aren’t even there. I’d say out of 18 units, five or six people are out of town right now. This is their second home,” he said.
Fort spokeswoman Ashley Doussard confirmed that about a dozen live in the building and the city is trying to connect them with resources to find a place to stay.
‘Only twelve people live there at the moment. Some residents are snowbirds,” she said Sun Sentinel.
Although the professor “got lucky” and found another apartment to stay in across the street, many are still struggling to find a home as Hurricane Helene continues its rampage across the state.
Defective support columns in the tenant garage and pool deck led to the collapse of Champlain Towers South, Miami, in 2021, killing 98 people
Despite a lack of alternative housing options, there may be hope for those planning to leave Florida and move to other parts of the country.
Earlier today morning, Tampa International Airport and St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport reopened after officials determined the airports suffered no significant damage from the hurricane.
While many inbound flights are in short supply, no outbound flights appeared to be canceled, according to the St. Pete airport Tampa Bay Times.
It remains unclear when repairs to the building will begin and whether evacuated residents will receive any compensation.