Lake Mary apartment evacuation: 85 units ruled 'unsafe'; officials cite 'structural deficiencies'

Lake Mary apartment evacuation: 85 units ruled 'unsafe'

Approximately 85 units at the Pebble Creek apartments in Lake Mary were condemned this week after fire and structural inspections revealed life-threatening "deficiencies," Seminole County officials said. Officials said some issues they saw included stairs pulling away from walls and buildings physically "settling on themselves."

LAKE MARY, Fla. - Tenants of over 80 units at a Lake Mary apartment complex were told to move out after a fire – which took place months prior – uncovered significant structural issues.

These affected units were deemed "unsafe" to live in, as the Seminole County Fire Department cited "several deficiencies" that were found. 

What we know:

Residents at Pebble Creek at Lake Mary apartments were given a 24-hour notice to vacate their home, one tenant confirmed to FOX 35 on March 24. 

Jennifer Falter told FOX 35 that she had to move out of her apartment and that she was given about an hour to do that. 

85 units were evacuated at Pebble Creek Apts in Lake Mary due to stair and structural damages. 

She said the stairs by her apartment were "looking a little rough," though she thought the repairs and evaluation of them was normal. 

However, on Tuesday evening, she received notice that her apartment building had been condemned and that she'd have one hour to get out of her unit.

Red and orange signs with the words "unsafe" were placed on her building, as well as red "caution" tape blocking some of the stair entrances.

The backstory:

The Seminole County Fire Department reported on March 24 that 72 apartment units at the Pebble Creek apartments – located at 780 Creekwater Terrace – are not safe to live in. Of the 72 identified units, 48 were unoccupied. Residents living in the remainder of the affected units were relocated to available apartments within the complex, the fire department reported. 

By March 25, the number of affected units increased to 85 – 16 of which were unoccupied. 

Watch: Full press conference

85 apartment units evacuated: Officials site damage to stairs, structure

FULL PRESS CONFERENCE | Seminole County officials discuss three key issues at a Lake Mary apartment -- prompting the evacuation of 85 units. Officials cited damage to stairs, structural damage and damage from a previous fire. 

85 units evacuated

Chris Patton, the director of communications for Seminole County Government, said two different situations were noticed during an inspection. Each building has 16 units. 

• One building was evacuated due to fire damage. During an inspection, it was learned that repairs weren't being made "in an appropriate fashion," Patton said.
• One building was evacuated due to structural damage. Stucco from the bottom of building was "billow(ing) out," Patton described. He said this was a sign of the building "settling and condensing on itself."
• The evacuation of around 50 other units was due to structural deficiencies with stairwells. Patton described the stairs as "coming away from the walls" and "steel rusting away" and the stairs being uneven. Patton said the issues stemmed from the stairs not being maintained.

85 units were evacuated at Pebble Creek Apts in Lake Mary due to stair and structural damages. 

Where will affected residents live? 

Some affected residents were relocated to available apartments within the complex, the fire department reported. The Red Cross worked with other tenants for accommodations.