PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – People living in the Heron Pond condominium complex in Pembroke Pines have until Aug. 29 to find a new home after all 19 buildings were deemed unsafe.
Six buildings at the complex, located near Pines Boulevard and University Drive, were deemed unsafe last year and people living in them were ordered to leave.
Issues include large cracks in the buildings and steel supports that shore up the balconies on nearly all 19 buildings on the property, rotting wood found beneath stucco and patchwork in place of actual repairs.
Engineers recently notified the city of Pembroke Pines that the remaining structures needed to be evacuated, affecting about 170 units.
People living in the remaining units said Wednesday they don’t have much time to figure out where to go or what to do.
“(It went) from the beautiful to the worst,” one resident said, noting that conditions at the complex have gone downhill in the past 10 years. “It’s very sad to be here. I used to love to be here.”
One resident, Gian, had no idea about the order until a Local 10 News crew knocked on his door.
“My reaction (to) this is very shocking,” he said. “I didn’t know that.”
Officials said if the area is put under a tropical storm advisory at any point, everyone must evacuate immediately.