300+ Residents Of North Miami Beach Condo Evacuated After Structure Deemed Unsafe

A condo building in North Miami Beach has been closed and residents are being evacuated Friday after an audit and building inspection report outlined unsafe structural and electrical conditions.

The city of North Miami Beach ordered the 156-unit Crestview Towers Condominium, located at 2025 NE 164th St., to be closed immediately and the evacuation of its more than 300 residents.

"In an abundance of caution, the City ordered the building closed immediately and the residents evacuated for their protection, while a full structural assessment is conducted and next steps are determined," North Miami Beach City Manager Arthur H. Sorey III said. "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."

After the tragic collapse of the Champlain Tower South in Surfside, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava suggested an audit of buildings that were 40 years old and older.

Sorey asked for an audit and review of all high-rise condo buildings above five stories to determine if they were in compliance with the county and city 40-year recertification process and certified as safe for occupancy on June 29.

After department files showed Crestview was not in compliance, an inspector went to the building on Friday to follow up.

That same day, the Crestview Towers building manager brought a recertification report dated Jan. 11, 2021, to the North Miami Beach Buildings Department, where the association's engineer deemed the property unsafe.

The City of North Miami Beach is working with the American Red Cross to find temporary shelter for displaced residents who do not have somewhere else to stay.

Crestview Towers was built in 1972.