WEST PALM BEACH — The United Civic Organization, a nonprofit that oversees condominium associations at Century Village, has called on the Palm Beach County Building Division to address unsafe conditions at a building in the sprawling complex near West Palm Beach.
UCO advises the 309 separate building associations that make up the community, which has 8,000 units and more than 10,000 residents. Century Village is along Okeechobee Boulevard in an unincorporated area of Palm Beach County.
It has been more than a year since two units, Coventry H 172 and 180, were deemed “unsafe for occupancy” because of severe damage from a water leak that may have lasted for years. Catastrophic damage was sustained to a ground-floor residence, making it unfit for anyone to live in it. The upstairs residence where the leak occurred is also uninhabitable.
The units have since been gutted, but structural repairs have not been made. The building is being propped up by temporary shoring posts. A county magistrate has ordered that permanent repairs be undertaken.
On July 18, UCO emailed county officials complaining that the Coventry H Condo Association has yet to sign a contract with a general contractor to undertake the needed repairs. UCO is concerned that the building itself is structurally unsafe. There are six residences in the rest of the building that are occupied by year-round residents.
UCO and the property management company, Seacrest Services, say they have advised the condo association that the current conditions pose a life-safety risk. UCO expects to start improvements to a nearby canal soon, and the heavy equipment that will be used could create vibrations that will destabilize the temporary shoring posts at the building, according to UCO spokesperson Don Foster.
“We cannot wait for them to make these repairs,” Foster said. “The canal project needs to be done. That is why we want this addressed as soon as possible.”
County magistrate has ordered repairs be completed in November
Cindy Hoskin, deputy director of the county’s Planning, Zoning and Building Department, said an unsafe-structures inspector performed an inspection July 15 and determined that there is no immediate safety risk. She noted that the two residences deemed to be unsafe for habitation continue to be unoccupied. The magistrate hearing resulted in a Nov. 6 compliance deadline to obtain the permits and perform the required work.
“If the responsible parties do not comply by that deadline, fines will accrue until compliance is achieved,” she noted, adding that it is common for a magistrate to grant several months for compliance when plans need to be prepared, contractors scheduled and structural work performed.
Hoskin said the condo association has selected a general contractor to obtain the required permits and repair the damage once the construction plans are completed. Foster doubts that the work will be finished before the November deadline.
“We will continue to monitor this case,” Hoskin said.
Unsafe buildings at the Century Village have been an issue for some time. In December, UCO told county officials that its enforcement orders were being ignored. County officials say there has been too much use of unlicensed contractors doing work at the complex without obtaining required building permits. Much of it has been done by investors.
Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government and issues impacting homeowner associations. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Century Village to county: One of our buildings has been unsafe to live in for over a year
Reporting by Mike Diamond, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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