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By Daniel Kozin and Freida Frisaro

The Associated Press

MIAMI BEACH 鈥� An evacuation order has abruptly forced out residents of a 14-story, oceanfront building on the same avenue where a聽condominium building collapse聽killed nearly 100 people last year.

The city posted an unsafe structure notice Thursday evening at the Port Royale condominium building, Miami Beach spokesperson Melissa Berthier stated in an email.

A structural engineering report prompted evacuation of the 164-unit structure, which is in the process of undergoing a required recertification. An engineer discovered that a main support beam identified for repair 10 months ago had shifted and that a crack in the beam had expanded, and other structural supports may need repair as well, the report said.

One resident, renovation contractor Marash Markaj, who has lived in the building for more than six years, said the damage extends beyond a single support beam.

鈥淚鈥檝e seen the issues for many years,鈥� Markaj told The Associated Press. He said he tried to report the issues 鈥� including cracks in a column and standing water in the garage area for weeks at a time 鈥� to the building management and to the city鈥檚 building department.

鈥淚 was never able to get a response,鈥� he said, adding that he was feeling 鈥渦nsafe鈥� living in the building and with the way the building鈥檚 maintenance was handled.

Inspection Engineers Inc. stated in a letter to the city that it鈥檚 working to obtain a city permit so that 鈥渃omprehensive shoring鈥� can be installed within 10 days. That will be followed by another inspection of the building, which was constructed in 1971.

During an inspection about 10 months ago, engineers found 鈥渁reas of concern that we designated as a priority to be repaired,鈥� Arshad Vioar stated in an email sent to the Miami Beach Building Department.

The building鈥檚 association selected a contractor, and it started repairs about four weeks ago. The firm that inspected the building was asked to supervise the work and this week 鈥渘oticed that one of the main beams in the garage had experienced a structural deflection of approximately one-half inch and also the existing crack that was marked for repair had extended,鈥� Vioar stated in the email.

The handful of condo residents who returned to the site Friday morning to see what was happening included Felicia Flores, 71, who has lived in the building 15 years, and now has gone to stay with her daughter nearby. Work on the building was taking place for a few weeks, but something changed Thursday, she said.

鈥淚t appears there was something more serious, so we had to leave all of a sudden,鈥� Flores said.

Miami Beach officials said condo owners who rented out their units were on the hook under local laws to cover temporary housing for renters for up to three months or until the building was habitable again.

Samy Bosch, who has lived in the building for nine years, said residents were given very little time to move out. They were told at 5 p.m. Thursday that they had to be out by 7 p.m.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 know exactly what鈥檚 going on inside there, but we can鈥檛 stay; that鈥檚 it,鈥� Bosch said during his return Friday morning to observe the scene.

The Port Royale is about 1.3 miles south of the Champlain Towers South condo building in Surfside, Florida, also on Collins Avenue, where 98 people were killed in a June 2021 collapse.

The聽disaster at the 12-story oceanfront condo building in Surfside聽drew the largest non-hurricane emergency response in Florida history, including rescue crews from across the U.S. and as far away as Israel to help local teams search for victims.

Other buildings in South Florida have been evacuated amid similar safety concerns since the Surfside collapse.

The disaster led to an increase in scrutiny on the聽structural integrity of aging condominium towers聽throughout Florida, especially along its coastlines. The state has since moved to strengthen laws requiring inspections and periodic recertification of buildings.

Miami-Dade County had required the first recertification only after 40 years, and the Surfside building was undergoing that recertification process when it collapsed.

New state rules signed into law in May require聽buildings to have their first recertification after 30 years, or 25 if they are within 3 miles of the coast, and then every 10 years thereafter.