The more than 300 residents of The Rialto apartments on West Sand Lake Road in Orange County still cannot return home until the county is sure it's safe, after cracks appeared and doors wouldn't open last Thursday.
Mayor Jerry Demings gave an update on their situation at Tuesday's County Commission meeting. He said deputies and firefighters did provide renters with a one-time escort back into the building to retrieve essentials.
"Our hearts certainly go out to those who experienced displacement from their homes," Demings said. "But for their overall safety and security at this point, they cannot be allowed to go back in until it is certain where the engineers determine that that structure is safe for them to reenter."
He said Orange County Fire Rescue, the Sheriff's Office, Animal Services, Emergency Management and the LYNX bus system have responded to help the displaced residents. So has the American Red Cross.
"We're on scene with mobile command capabilities, building access control," Demings said. "The Orange County Building Department, in coordination with contractor engineers, is conducting structural integrity evaluations."
He said Visit Orlando helped arrange discounted rooms with several Orlando hotels.
"Residents have been asked, if they need additional assistance, to contact the Rialto management, and they are providing coordinated services as the landlord and the property owner," Demings said.
The Rialto property owner, Northland Investment Corp., said in an email Monday that some residents had renters insurance that covers temporary housing and others didn't. It's offering assistance in the amount of $1,000 per apartment.
The five-story building, at 7343 W. Sand Lake Road, is mixed use, with retail shops at ground level.
The Building Department investigated the structure and issued a field investigation report on Monday. The inspector found it had "received structural damage sufficient enough to cause occupancy denied and cannot be occupied until Engineers/Architects reports have been received and reviewed by Orange County Building Official(s) and all required inspections have been completed."
The inspector also found unpermitted work at the site, including stucco repairs on the outside of the building.
