{"id":198644,"date":"2026-03-20T03:01:28","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T03:01:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/198644\/"},"modified":"2026-03-20T03:01:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T03:01:28","slug":"evacuation-at-orange-countys-the-rialto-over-safety-fears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/198644\/","title":{"rendered":"Evacuation at Orange County’s The Rialto over safety fears"},"content":{"rendered":"

UPDATE:<\/p>\n

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. \u2014 The Rialto Apartments in Orlando were evacuated Thursday morning after residents reported hearing loud popping sounds and finding their front doors jammed. <\/p>\n

Approximately 358 individuals were displaced from the complex located at 7343 W. Sand Lake Road starting around 5 a.m.<\/p>\n

Orange County officials ordered the evacuation due to immediate concerns regarding the structural instability of the building. <\/p>\n

The displacement affected nearly all of the 200 units within the complex, which were 93% occupied at the time of the emergency calls.<\/p>\n

Multiple agencies responded to the 911 calls, including Orange County Fire Rescue, the Orange County Sheriff\u2019s Office and the Orange County Building Safety Division. <\/p>\n

First responders spent the morning ensuring all residents were safely removed from the 200-unit complex.<\/p>\n

The Orange County Division of Building Safety has instructed the property management team to hire a Florida licensed engineer or architect. <\/p>\n

This professional is required to perform a complete structural evaluation of the building. The study will determine the cause of the damage, identify any necessary repairs and establish if the structure is safe for future occupancy.<\/p>\n

Orange County officials stated that the local government was not aware of any structural issues at the 7343 W. Sand Lake Road property before the reports on Thursday morning. The building was 93% occupied at the time the popping sounds were reported.<\/p>\n

The Orange County Office of Emergency Management, Visit Orlando and the American Red Cross are currently coordinating to secure hotel rooms for those displaced. During the initial response, Lynx provided buses to serve as temporary on-site shelter to protect residents from cold temperatures.<\/p>\n

Several area hotels are offering discounted rates to residents who identify themselves as part of the Rialto evacuation. <\/p>\n

Participating locations include Rosen Inn, Rosen Plaza, Rosen Centre and Rosen Shingle Creek. Other participating hotels include the Doubletree Theme Park Resort and the Courtyard by Marriott located across from Universal Orlando.<\/p>\n

Displaced residents seeking assistance with hotel accommodations or additional information can contact Rialto Property Management at 407-630-8718. <\/p>\n

PREVIOUS STORY:<\/p>\n

Some residents at an Orange County apartment building are being told to evacuate Thursday morning due to possible structural concerns.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s happening along West Sand Lake Road near Turkey Lake Road at The Rialto.<\/p>\n

Orange County Fire Rescue first responded to the scene shortly before 5 a.m. after receiving a report from a resident who said they were unable to exit their unit.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Apartment complex and businesses evacuated in Orlando Orange County officials say they are looking into possible structural issues at The Rialto on West Sand Lake Road. (WFTV staff)<\/p>\n

Channel 9 has been on scene since that time monitoring activity.<\/p>\n

Residents have been gathering personal belongings from apartments over the last few hours.<\/p>\n

Some ground floor businesses are also impacted by the evacuations.<\/p>\n

Orange County Fire Rescue officials held a media briefing around 10:15 a.m. Thursday about the situation that\u2019s unfolding.<\/p>\n

Click video below to watch Thursday morning\u2019s full news conference:\"\"<\/p>\n

WATCH: Structural concerns force evacuations at Orange County apartment complex, businesses Orange County officials say they are looking into possible structural issues at The Rialto on West Sand Lake Road. (WFTV)<\/p>\n

Channel 9 will have a full update on this breaking story beginning on Eyewitness News at noon.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Apartment complex and businesses evacuated in Orlando Orange County officials say they are looking into possible structural issues at The Rialto on West Sand Lake Road. (WFTV staff)<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here<\/a> to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

TOP STORIES FROM WFTV CHANNEL 9<\/p>\n

\u00a92026 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"UPDATE: ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. \u2014 The Rialto Apartments in Orlando were evacuated Thursday morning after residents reported hearing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":198645,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[91963,77161,91961,91960,91959,634,91962,115,91957,91955,91954,139,141,140,91958,1045,91956],"class_list":["post-198644","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-fire_rescue","tag-fort_myers","tag-g_i_l_b_e_r_t_mercado","tag-gilbert","tag-gilbert_mercado","tag-local","tag-m_e_r_c_a_d_o","tag-news","tag-office_of_emergency_management","tag-orange_county_division_of_building_safety","tag-orange_county_fire_and_rescue_departments","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news","tag-parks_department","tag-video","tag-visit_orlando"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198644","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=198644"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198644\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/198645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=198644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=198644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=198644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}