LAKE MARY, Fla. — As inspections continue at two apartment complexes in Orange and Seminole counties, Central Floridians who rent, or who are looking to rent, are wondering what to pay attention to.
Building safety experts say that seeing two separate incidents — one at the Rialto Apartments in Orlando and the other at Pebble Creek at Lake Mary in Seminole County — in less than a week is not a common occurrence.
What You Need To Know
Experts take a look at the next steps for the Rialto and Pebble Creek at Lake Mary apartment complexes in Central Florida after hundreds of tenants were displaced
A FAMU-FSU School of Engineering professor says these incidents are rare and require structural engineers to take a look at each building’s foundations
Professional Reserve Analyst Anastasia Kolodzik said she believes that apartments and hotels should have the same structural integrity reserves studies as condos
On Wednesday, more than 80 units at the Pebble Creek at Lake Mary apartment complex in Seminole County were deemed unsafe after issues were found following a Feb. 27 fire.
Before that, 200 units and 358 residents were evacuated from The Rialto Apartments in Orlando on March 19 aftger residents reported stuck doors and strange popping noises that caused safety inspectors to question the building’s stability.
The incident in Orlando was a situation that reminded one expert of the 2021 condo collapse in Surfside that killed 98 people
“That building was in trouble from the get-go, and it was found that basically the same thing is happening all over the state,” Alliance Reserve Services President Anastasia Kolodzik said. “The buildings are needing to be evaluated and needed to be looked at very closely to make sure that they’re safe.”
Kolodzik is a professional reserve analyst who works to ensure building owners have sufficient funds to conduct proper maintenance.
And when it comes to The Rialto Apartments, one engineer says the investigation will start from the ground up.
“We would suspect that something happened at the foundation level,” said FAMU-FSU College of Engineering professor Kamal Tawfiq. “And either it could be that the bearing capacity or the carrying capacity of the soil was not adequate to start with, or it was adequate and something happened beneath it or around it.”
While Tawfiq isn’t associated with the Rialto incident, he’s familiar with building assessments when structural concerns arise.
So, when the Pebble Creek at Lake Mary apartment complex was ordered to evacuate more than 80 units Wednesday, Tawfiq praised the efforts to ensure residents’ safety.
“This is a wise decision, because in these cases you don’t know the damage,” Tawfiq said. “And also we don’t have any clue if that damage is propagating to other areas.”
Seminole County officials say the issue stems from a Feb. 27 fire that started while repair work was being done on a stairwell.
This led to the discovery of broader concerns, which in turn has some residents seeking other options.
“Even if they say that it is safe, it just feels so unsafe because of everything that is going on,” said Jonathan Viera.
And while experts say that incidents like these may be rare occurrences, Kolodzik said lawmakers should take a closer look at required assessments.
“If you have a three-story condo that’s required to do a structural integrity reserves study and a milestone inspection, then you should implement those same requirements for any building that are three stories or more,” she said.