City Cancels Evacuation Order Affecting 200+ Tenants After Landlord Completes Emergency Repairs On Rusted Out Staircases

In Lauderhill, Florida, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports:

• City officials on Thursday afternoon canceled an order for hundreds of Brampton Court residents to leave their apartments because workers have finished emergency repairs. Police and fire officials also ended a "fire watch" that lasted more than a week at the four-building complex, in the 4500 block of Northwest 19th Street, to ensure that no one was hurt if there was an emergency, said city spokeswoman Leslie Johnson.

• During an inspection Thursday, engineers determined the stairs were "structurally sound," even though the stairs are expected to undergo additional improvements during the next two months, Johnson said.

• In notices the city circulated at Brampton on June 22, residents who lived on the second, third and fourth floors were given three days to vacate apartments because staircases were deemed unsafe. Three days later, the city let the buildings remain open because construction workers hired by Brampton Court's managers had begun replacing rusted stair parts.

• The city repeatedly postponed a deadline for residents to leave, agreeing to keep the complex open as long as workers continued making improvements. The city's notices to vacate Brampton caused dozens of people to move out. Residents said they are living at relatives' homes or have signed apartment leases elsewhere. Other residents stayed, saying they couldn't afford to move.

Source: Lauderhill cancels order for Brampton residents to leave (Engineers find emergency repairs made stairs safe, city says).

In earlier stories, see:

• Lauderhill apartment complex offers reimbursement to residents told to leave,
• 200+ Renters Given 72 Hours To Vacate 4-Story Buildings As City Officials Declare South Florida Apartment Complex With Rusted Staircases Unsafe.