Maison Grande Condominium Association: Pending city permits delay repairs

SURFSIDE, Fla. – The building collapse in Surfside concerned residents at Maison Grande Condominium who said they are worried about “unsafe structure” warnings. As the search for survivors at Champlain Towers South continued, the president of the Maison Grande Condominium Association blamed the delays in repairs on the city’s “slow” turnaround on permits.

According to Melissa Berthier, a spokeswoman for the city, The Maison Grande Condominium applied for a 40-year permit on May 13 and there was a 90-day window to provide an inspection report to the city. Lilly Ann Sanchez, the president of the Maison Grande Condominium Association, said Berthier was wrong and added that the accepted 40-year certification letter from the city was issued in April 2015.

On Thursday, Berthier confirmed “a clerical error was identified and a permit was issued on May 26, 2021″ for the building.

“We use a red placard when a building violation is posted, which provides the language ‘unsafe structure’ per the County Code. This does not necessarily mean the building is unsafe or in imminent danger,” Berthier wrote in an e-mail on Tuesday.

A violation was first issued in November 2020, and the city was not pursuing compliance on non-life-threatening complaints due to the complications that arose during the coronavirus pandemic, according to Berthier.

Maison Grande at 6039 Collins Ave. is far from Champlain Towers South. On Tuesday, the condo association president said the violations are already being corrected. The association has been waiting on city permits for concrete restoration in the garage and pool since Feb. 16. There is also a 3-month delay on permits to repair a 72-square-foot area in the ceiling of the penthouse level.

Maison Grande’s condo association also plans to install a new sprinkler system and smoke detectors by November. Records show Maison Grande was built in 1971 and passed its 40-year recertification process in 2013. An engineer deemed the building “structurally sound” and determined the deterioration of concrete was minor and cosmetic and the rebar corrosion in some balcony slab edges was minor.

The association hired Hollywood-based Coast To Coast General Building Contractors to make the repairs on the exterior envelope of the building during the recertification process in 2013. Yanieve Levi, the president of Coast To Coast, said the repairs were not as significant as he had anticipated before the work about eight years ago.

“The building seemed to be in pretty good shape,” Levi said on Tuesday.

City officials believe that has changed. The outstanding violations on the building in Miami Beach are linked to alleged evidence of spalling concrete.

Levi said property owners need to be in communication with their board associations and be proactive and ask questions such as, “When was the last improvement? What is budgeted? How are we going to pay for it? Do we plan on reserves?”

Meanwhile, in Surfside, search-and-rescue teams faced sporadic rain and spontaneous fires at 8777 Collins Ave. The death toll was rising slowly. President Joe Biden will be visiting the area on Thursday.

Related documents: Maison Grande Condominium

Notice of violation

Existing conditions assessment

2013 structural certification

2015 recertification letter

Complete coverage

• HOW TO HELP: Here’s a list of resources to support those impacted by building collapse
• Photos: Loved ones name those they say are missing
• Photos: Search-and-rescue teams in action
• Photos: Building in Surfside partially collapses
• Hotline and wellness form for residents and families

Coverage on Tuesday

• Rescuers battle obstacles during their search in Surfside
• Recently married lawyer and husband missing in collapse
• Renowned civil engineer hired to investigate
• Families of Surfside victims keep hope alive by visiting condo and unifying in Bal Harbour
• Prosecutors will ask grand jury to probe building collapse
• ‘Our backyard’: Tragedy strikes home for Miami-Dade rescuers
• Biden to visit Florida building collapse on Thursday
• In collapsed building’s twin, most residents are staying put
• Surfside realtor says deadly building collapse ‘hasn’t slowed down the demand’ on beachside condos
• Beachside vigil held for victims and families of Surfside building collapse

Coverage on Monday

• Another body pulled from rubble in Surfside, bringing the total confirmed dead to 10
• Residential property audit announced by Miami-Dade mayor already underway
• Buses take loved ones of missing Surfside residents to collapse site
• 8 victims now identified following Surfside building collapse
• 88-year-old Surfside condo survivor remembers those who helped her to safety
• ‘Don’t give up hope,’ local leaders tell families of Surfside missing
• Watch out for Surfside charity scams and price gouging
• Despite warning, town deemed condo building in ‘good shape’
• Mayor: Child alone outside collapse site brings tragedy home
• Who are they? Stories of the victims of Surfside collapse
• What caused Surfside collapse? Engineer offers insight
• ‘I will miss you all my life:’ Father pens beautiful note to late son who died in the Surfside condo collapse
• Memorials grow in Surfside as desperate search for victims continues into fifth day
• Surfside collapse is ‘wake-up call,’ DeSantis says as questions remain about cause of devastating collapse

Coverage on Sunday

• State fire marshal provides insight into efforts to locate victims while fighting fire
• Team of national scientists to visit Surfside collapse site
• Teams use sonar devices, lasers to aid in Surfside rescue
• Several families belonging to Miami Beach church remain missing, parishioners gather to pray and hope
• Neighboring residents express concern as investigation into Champlain Towers South collapse continues
• Buses take loved ones of missing Surfside residents to collapse site
• Remembering the dead and missing
• Search-and-rescue teams tunnel through pancaked concrete 3 days after building collapse

Coverage on Saturday

• Relative of Surfside building collapse victim lashes out at DeSantis for not ‘doing enough’
• Surfside building collapse: Four out of 5 dead identified; 156 remain unaccounted for
• Missing grandparents’ landline calling from Champlain Towers South condo, family says
• Surfside tower had ‘major structural damage’ — but enough to cause a collapse?
• North Bay Village police chief’s mother has been unaccounted for since Surfside building collapse
• ‘The hope is that there are going to be miracles,’ relative of Surfside building collapse victims says
• Fire burning beneath rubble of collapsed Surfside condo hindering rescue efforts
• Surfside building collapse first responders having difficulty locating victims in massive debris pile
• Miami-Dade Mayor: ‘I’m hopeful this will be the day we have a breakthrough’
• Surfside mayor expresses concern over Champlain South’s identical sister building
• Traffic changes in Surfside area as rescue efforts continue following deadly building collapse

Coverage on Friday

• Champlain Towers South resident survives by climbing through rubble in the dark with her dog
• Teen identified after being pulled from rubble in Surfside, family confirms mother is among those dead
• Man who lives in condo looks out, tells wife ‘My parents’ apartment isn’t there’
• Surfside collapse: Family reunification center moving from community space to hotel
• First lawsuit filed after partial building collapse in Surfside
• Smoke billows out from Champlain Towers South collapse site
• Surfside officials discuss aftermath of building collapse: ‘Terrible tragedy’ to change recertification
• Israel sends help to Surfside’s Jewish community
• Amid anguish after building collapse, memorial, prayer circle help some cope with Surfside tragedy

Coverage on Thursday

• Officials fear there will be many casualties after Surfside building ‘pancaked’ during collapse
• Surveillance video captures eerie moments as part of Surfside condo crashes down
• Man says all he saw was ‘white clouds of dust’
• Father remains missing; wife and daughter hospitalized after Surfside building collapse
• Surfside condo that collapsed was going through a recertification process
• After Surfside collapse do you need to worry about your building?
• Officials fear there will be many casualties after Surfside building ‘pancaked’ during collapse
• Geologist warned of instability in Surfside

Editorial note: This story was updated on June 30 to reflect the city’s response to a Local 10 News’ request for information and the response from Lilly Ann Sanchez, the president of the Maison Grande Condominium Association.