Owners say century-old Miami skyscraper is now safe, but they still can’t get back in

2023-12-21 03:38:30

MIAMI, Fla. – It’s been nearly 10 months since the city of Miami deemed a historic downtown skyscraper unsafe, but the owners say the building is completely safe.

The unsafe structure sign — posted after a sudden evacuation in March — still stands on the Huntington building and its 14 owners technically shouldn’t be there.

But they’ve been able to come and go as they please, at least until a Local 10 News crew arrived Wednesday and the building manager showed up to kick out frustrated business owner Dilana Alexander and reporter Glenna Milberg.

City officials said they found a problem with a fire escape in the century-old building, located at 168 SE First St. Tenants of the commercial building have been skeptical from day one and even firefighters questioned why on the day the building was evacuated.

“They should have monthly updates and board meetings, at a minimum, to let everyone know what’s going on. “Nothing,” Alexander said.

The problem has now been solved. The building manager, who is also the owner, admitted as much when Local 10 reporter Glenna Milberg asked him about it.

Those in charge of the building closed the elevators when Milberg and Alexander left the building, so they took the perfectly safe stairs.

But back in the lobby, Alexander learned that there were still people in the building doing business. He called the police.

“I witnessed people leaving through a back door. By the lord, they were having a party upstairs,” a Miami police officer said. “I’m going to make a report. Well, let’s put all the information.”

The person who was in the building for what police called a “party” was the building manager.

If all of this seems confusing to you, it is also confusing to the owners, who are losing literally hundreds of thousands while the building remains closed, with no answers from the city council or their own board.

Those are the answers Local 10 News has been working to get, so far, to no avail.

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