Reisdents of the Heron Pond Condominiums in Pembroke Pines were saying goodbye to their homes after they were forced to evacuate the buildings that were deemed unsafe.
Moving out of her Pembroke Pines home is not what Katline Philibert imagined she’d be doing days before having a baby.
“Next week I’m supposed to give birth,” said the soon-to-be first-time mom.
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Philibert lived in building 10 in Heron Pond Condominiums, one of three buildings the city deemed unsafe last week. Thursday is the deadline to be out.
“I was already comfortable just waiting, I was relaxed. Then all of a sudden someone knocked on my door and said, hey, you got to move,” said Philibert. “It was stressful.”
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Balconies in all 19 buildings on the property were shut down in January. Then in July, Pembroke Pines Police reported all buildings also showed signs of structural deterioration and potential unsafe conditions.
Residents of buildings two, three, and 10 were put on notice they had 10 days to move out.
“Instead of being excited about back to school, we’re stressing on where we are going to relocate. Where are we going to sleep?” said one mother, who asked not to be identified. “It’s impossible to find a place within eight days. You can only imagine how frustrating it is. It’s mind-blowing at this point.”
The property manager said an independent contractor was hired to assess each building and said it is not necessary for people to move out.
But the city disagrees, and the city has the final say.
“You’re paying the association to fix the building, they’re not doing anything," the unidentified resident said. "You can’t blame the city because the building is in bad condition, it’s not safe at all.”
Philibert and her husband will move in with family while they await their new place and their new daughter.
“It’s for the better because the buildings are looking worse every day,” Philibert said.
The property manager says four teams of contractors are on site to assess the cost of repairs and will bid for the project by the end of August. But there’s no timeline on how long the repairs will take.
