WPTV has received new information and videos that give us a closer look at what prompted St. Lucie County inspectors to Evacuation of a residential complex in Jensen Beach last week due to safety concerns.
Late Monday afternoon, the St. Lucie County Communications Office released a video taken by engineers inspecting the Villa Del Sol condominiums.
In the video, engineer Gustavo Alvarez of AB Plus Engineering shows the cracks in the concrete that forms the foundation of one of the buildings. In the video, he demonstrates how easily the concrete chips away when struck with a hammer.
“This is the foundation of this building,” Alvarez says in the video. “It’s completely cracked.”
While tapping the foundation with a hammer, the inspector in the video says: “There are always cracks.”
WATCH THE INSPECTORS’ VIDEO BELOW:
Pictures from Building 3 Villa del Sol
In that email to St. Lucie County building official Michael Jerrahian — which was also forwarded to the county’s fire marshal — Alvarez wrote that during his inspection he “discovered greater damage than initially observed.”
The email went on to say that “parts of the rebar were disintegrating.”
Alvarez concluded by saying, “Given the severity of the situation, I strongly recommend the immediate evacuation of residents” from two buildings. Alvarez added to his recommendation to evacuate three buildings.
This email was sent at 5:10 p.m. on Thursday. Evacuations took place at sunset.
“WHAT’S OUR NEXT STEP?”
Four days later, residents still have no timetable for when they can return to their homes.
“We’re still trying to figure out what our next step is,” said homeowner Eric Johnson.
The owners of the Villa Del Sol condominiums in Jensen Beach said they held an emergency meeting with property managers and the contractor, Waterfront Services Inc., to discuss the findings that led to the evacuation of those buildings last Thursday.
It is a meeting that the residents describe as intense.
“There have been understandably heated discussions,” Johnson said. “A lot of people still don’t know exactly what’s going on. A lot of people are angry because this is their investment, this is their wealth, this is their house, their home, it’s all connected.”
Homeowners said they were shown videos and pictures detailing the damage.
They say they were told at the meeting that salt water had attacked the rebar and damaged the structural integrity of the concrete.
“They had concrete footings that ran the entire length and parts of them were just crumbling,” Johnson said. “They just tapped it a little bit with a hammer and the concrete just fell down and exposed the raw rebar, which was very badly corroded.”
However, one big question still remains for the residents.
“How much more will this cost me?” asked local resident Christine Chico.
The Chico building was not affected by the inspection, but residents said it affects everyone in the community.
“This is going to be a huge financial burden for a lot of people, and I know there are people in this community who barely made it through the first assessment,” Johnson said. “I don’t know where we go from here.”
Homeowners told WPTV that the cost of the assessment could be more than $40,000 per person.
Chico said she didn’t know how much more she could take.
“How much more money can I put into this?” Chico asked. “I’m retired like many others in this community. This is my dream retirement. Retirement usually means a steady income.”
Homeowners say that dream may have to be put on hold.
“If I hold out until it’s fixed, maybe the value will come back, but for now I wish myself luck,” Chico said.
We’ll stay tuned. Check WPTV.com for updates.
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