In the wake of the Surfside condominium collapse, which has been determined to have caused at least 90 people as of Sunday morning, authorities have shut down the nearby Miami-Dade County courthouse.
Building Inspectors found “safety concerns with various floors,” and decided to close down the building, causing all of the workers at the historic courthouse to have to work from home, the New York Post reported.
The safety inspection was launched following the collapse of the Champlain Tower South, which raised concerns about the structural condition of other buildings in the area. (RELATED: ‘Zero Chance’ For Survivors In Surfside Condo Collapse, Fire Rescue Official Says)
The report recommended that floors 16 and above be closed while engineers repair the building.
Some structural concerns were identified, some columns that needed to be, some support work that needed to be done,” Mayor Levine Cava said, CNN reported.
The 28-story courthouse that was evacuated, which was built between 1925 and 1928, is considered a historic land site.
The historic Miami-Dade County Courthouse has been evacuated after engineers identified “safety concerns” following a review of the building’s structural integrity that was prompted by a deadly condo collapse, Miami-Dade County officials say. https://t.co/yk2ZkWZYpD
— NBC News (@NBCNews) July 10, 2021
Cava said at a news conference Saturday that the county “has taken the steps in light of what has happened here to be very aggressive about pursuing safety in all of these buildings.”
“This was known and the activities had continued, but given the circumstances, we’ve already authorized that repair work to begin,” she noted. “And so hopefully it can be done quickly and we can return to normal operations at the courthouse.”
Starting Monday, all court business will be conducted remotely.