Residents of two condo buildings in Pembroke Pines were ordered to evacuate after their buildings were deemed unsafe. NBC6’s Marissa Bagg reports
Alerts that Heron Pond Condominium units may not be safe to live in cover the front doors of many homes Monday within the Pembroke Pines complex.
Residents living in buildings three and 10 learned things are so bad that the city is ordering them out in 10 days.
“It’s a little scary and shocking to see,” said Melissa Cora, who has lived in her building 10 unit for five years. “It’s just kinda up in the air — where do you go, can you leave if you’re under lease … what are you supposed to do?”
Kaitlyn Philibert is nine months pregnant. She is scheduled to become a mom just days away from the deadline to be out of her house.
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“I’m good, I’m kinda stressed a little bit,” Philibert said. “My husband is trying to do whatever he can so we can find a new place.“
Notices show balconies in all the buildings were shut down on Jan. 19. Then in July, Pembroke Pines Police posted a letter saying all 19 buildings showed “signs of structural deterioration and potential unsafe conditions."
“The property manager keeps sending emails that they’re going to fix it but nothing gets fixed,” Philibert said.
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According to the property manager, they’ve been trying to fix the balconies since April. Holes in the exterior walls show where an engineer hired to come in and do inspections is trying to determine the structural integrity of the buildings.
When the engineer’s final report was delayed last week, the city decided to order everyone in buildings 10 and three out on Aug. 24, citing the structures were in violation of state building and fire prevention codes.
Many who have been hoping for the fixes are tired of waiting.
“I’m planning on moving just because I’d rather be safe than sorry and stuck. Either way, it’s an unstable situation,” Cora said.
The property manager, Laura Serrano, told NBC6 she was just hired in March after the balconies were condemned. Serrano said she’s working with the engineer to get his final report to the city in hopes of appealing the decision to order residents out.
