Extensive termite damage forces partial evacuation of Hallandale Beach co-op

HALLANDALE BEACH — Termite damage in several units of the Berkeley Diplomat co-op residential building is so severe that they are no longer safe to live in, an engineer’s report found.

Units 101, 102, 201 and 202 must be evacuated within 48 hours after the city of Hallandale Beach posted a notice to the building at 5 p.m. Friday.

Emmanuel Agbenohevi, the city’s assistant building official, said the termites have damaged the building’s support structures and weakened the wood inside the walls.

The residential complex has three buildings and a total of 68 units. According to the association’s website, Berkeley Diplomat is a 55 years and older community.

So far, only the four units have been deemed unsafe, but the city is requiring reports for the other two buildings by Sunday, said Vanessa Leroy, development services director. The report came after an initial call from the co-op about reported termite damage.

The evacuation affects five residents of the building at 900 Atlantic Shores Blvd. One of the units deemed unsafe is already empty, Leroy said, because the ceiling caved in from the termite damage.

One of the unit owners, who did not want to be identified, said in a text message to the South Florida Sun Sentinel that since the termites were noticed, the board “has been assured that all termites are exterminated” and the engineer report was done after the extermination to assess the damage.

Three unit owners do not live at the building and the fourth is being evacuated within the allotted time frame, the owner said. Four of the five residents have already found other places to stay, the owner said.

“As advised by the engineer and the city of Hallandale Beach, the residents will not return until the restoration is complete and the units are deemed safe to return,” the owner said.

Officials are investigating further to determine which walls are at risk and how damaged they are. The association fulfilled its 40- and 50-year recertification inspections in 2013, Leroy said. Since 2006, Broward County has required buildings undergo a safety inspection once they are 40 years old and every 10 years after.

Once the damage is fixed, the co-op association will have to provide a certification report proving that the building is safe and there is no imminent threat, the city said.

The owners of the other units and the association’s board members were not able to be reached by phone Friday.