Unsafe Daytona Beach Shores buildings off-limits after Nicole until inspections complete

Structural engineers must determine if buildings are safe, police say

DAYTONA BEACH SHORES, Fla. – No one will be allowed to access at least 15 condo complexes in Daytona Beach Shores until an inspector deems them safe to enter, according to police.

The announcement came Friday after the buildings were evacuated Wednesday and Thursday due to the threat of collapse in the rain, wind and rough surf of Hurricane Nicole.

[TRENDING: Drone video shows crumbling beachside Florida homes devastated by Nicole | Hurricane Nicole unearths skeletal remains on Florida beach | Become a News 6 Insider]

According to a notice for Daytona Beach Shores residents, any building deemed unsafe by the city’s chief building official will need to be inspected by a structural engineer retained by the condo association or owner. Until the engineer determines a given building is safe, the only people allowed inside would be those associated with the engineer’s assessment, police said.

Nicole made landfall early Thursday in North Hutchinson Island as a Category 1 hurricane, eroding beaches along Florida’s east coast and dropping some Daytona Beach Shores homes into the sea.

Volusia County leaders said Thursday that the storm caused unprecedented damage to the coast, prompting the extension of a curfew east of the Intracoastal Waterway into Friday morning to leave room for damage assessments.

Bridges to the beachside were closed until after 9 a.m. Friday, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.

Throughout the county, officials had deemed at least 49 beachfront buildings unsafe and at risk for collapse because of Nicole, including 24 hotels and condos.


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About the Author:

Brandon, a UCF grad, joined the ClickOrlando team in November 2021. Before joining News 6, Brandon worked at WDBO.

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