LTC 273-2021 UPDATE ON THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT RESPONSE TO THE SURFSIDE COLLAPSEMIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
NO. LTC# LETTER TO COMMISSION
273-2021
TO: Honorable Mayor Dan Gelber and Members of the City Commission
FROM: Alina T. Hudak, City Mana~
DATE: July 2, 2021
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT RESPONSE TO THE
SURFSIDE COLLAPSE
The purpose of this Letter to Commission is to provide the Mayor and City Commission
with an update of the Building Department's efforts to ensure the safety of Miami Beach
buildings and residents with respect to the Florida Building Code, Miami-Dade County
Code, and the 40-year recertification process. This is a multi-departmental response,
with support from the City Manager's Office, the Marketing and Communications
Department Neighborhood Affairs Division, Community and Housing Department, Code
Compliance Department, the Fire Rescue Department, and the City Attorney and City
Clerk's Office.
The response includes:
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The Building Department issued letters requiring safety reports and is conducting
site visits on all buildings within the 40-year recertification process;
The Building Department call center is handling a large call volume from the
community and conducting inspections;
The Housing and Community Services Department is mobilized to relocate
residents, if needed, based on unsafe structure requirements;
The City's website is updated to provide informational resources;
The Marketing and Communications Department, together with the City Attorney
and City Clerk, are handling media and public records requests;
The Neighborhood Affairs Division is providing information to residents;
Code and Fire are supporting with inspections and notifications .
40-YEAR RECERTIFICATION
There are 507 buildings within or approaching the 40-year recertification process. On
June 29, 2021, the Building Department issued letters to these buildings, requiring
reports from licensed design professionals that must detail the conditions of the
structural and electrical systems and include a cover letter indicating whether the
buildings can be occupied. The reports must be submitted to the City within 21 days and
will be reviewed by Ana Salgueiro, PE, the City of Miami Beach Building Official.
The Building Department is also performing observational site visits at each of the 507
buildings to identify any obvious signs of structural concerns. To date, 489 inspections
have been completed. Next steps include file reviews of these buildings in a prioritized
manner.
Over and above this effort, residents are understandably worried about safety, and the
City is receiving concerns about individual buildings. These requests are also being
assigned to the inspection team to research further.
The Building Department utilizes a progressive enforcement approach to violations,
which may range from minor to major, with timeframes and requirements for compliance.
This is an evolving process and I will continue to keep you updated . Please contact me
or Eric Carpenter, Assistant City Manager at ericcarpenter@miam ibeachfl.go v with any
questions.
A TH/EC/ AK/ AMS