The upper floors of the Miami-Dade County Courthouse will be closed while repairs are underway out of “an abundance of caution in response to the tragedy in Surfside,” county officials have announced.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and administrators for Miami-Dade courts asked engineers to assess all county buildings following the collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium building in Surfside on June 24.
“The engineer’s report of the Courthouse identified safety concerns with various floors and recommended floors 16 and above be closed to staff while repairs are swiftly completed,” the mayor said Friday in a joint statement with Miami-Dade Circuit Court Chief Judge Nushin G. Sayfie and Miami-Dade Clerk of Courts Harvey Ruvin.
Courthouse staff have been asked to work remotely in the meantime, and all court business will be conducted remotely, according to the release. The partial shutdown of the courthouse comes as search crews continue to sift through the rubble at the condominium site.
Authorities reported the death count from the partially collapsed building had reached 94 as of Monday. The remainder of the building was razed on July 4. A team has been assigned to work on the courthouse, Miami-Dade county officials said in the press release.
"The basement area is also undergoing further inspection for any additional necessary repairs,” the joint statement said. As the review of county buildings is ongoing, the local officials said in their statement that “we will take urgent action to address any pending concerns and urge cities to take similar action to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all our residents."
