Two of Moishe Mana’s Flagler Station Properties Evacuated
By Julia Echikson September 14, 2021 6:50 pm
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Two of Moishe Mana’s properties at his keystone Flagler Station development in Miami were evacuated earlier this month after being deemed “unsafe,” months after the collapse of the Champlain Towers South condo in Surfside.
In preparation for upcoming renovations, the developer’s firm, Mana Properties, commissioned structural engineering reports for adjacent buildings located at 48 and 76 E Flagler Street, according to a Mana Properties spokesperson.
“The buildings have significant structural issues and should not be occupied,” the spokesperson said in a statement, adding that the 48 Flagler building is “unsafe.”
Tenants were ordered to evacuate following the release of the engineering reports on September 2nd and 9th, respectively. All 29 tenants — including restaurants and a storage company — have now evacuated, per the spokesperson.
Built in 1928, 76 Flagler is a two-story building, while its counterpart is a seven-story structure first constructed in 1985, property records show. Mana’s company acquired the properties for a combined $35 million in 2015, per records.
The buildings will remain closed until further notice. While Mana Properties is still evaluating the next steps forward, the buildings will “likely be demolished and redeveloped from the ground up,” the spokesperson said. The Real Deal first reported about the evacuation.
The buildings are part of Mana’s marquee Flagler Street development in downtown Miami. The developer is the single largest landowner in Miami’s downtown area, having spent over $350 million to purchase over 50 properties in and around Flagler Street with hopes of creating a business hub, per the Miami Herald.
The incident comes as other Miami buildings were found unsafe and residents were ordered to evacuate in the wake of the Champlain condo’s collapse.
Following the tragedy that killed 98, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava ordered an audit of aging structures in June. Like Mana, properties managers and condo boards across South Florida followed suit by preemptively launching safety inspections. A slew of apartment buildings — including Lakeview Gardens, Crestview Towers, among others — have been evacuated due to safety concerns.
