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Article Courtesy of Florida Today
By Rick Neale
Published December 13, 2018
MELBOURNE BEACH — A $10 million insurance dispute remains unresolved at the
Versailles Sur La Mer condominium complex, which has sat vacant since
shortly after Hurricane Irma's rain bands struck in September 2017.
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Brevard County officials declared the 24-unit complex on
State Road A1A unsafe for human habitation, citing "extreme structural
support issues" that pose "an imminent danger" to occupants.
In January, the Versailles Sur La Mer Condominium Association sued Lexington
Insurance Co., claiming breach of contract because the company refused to
pay for damages.
However, Lexington Insurance lawyers countered that the association's
property insurance policy does not cover foundation, rust or corrosion
damages — which were preexisting.
The lawsuit remains ongoing in U.S. District Court in Orlando. A mediation
hearing in the lawsuit is scheduled for July 16 in the ninth-floor
boardrooms at Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport.
On a different front, a Brevard County code enforcement case remains open at
the yellow-and-white oceanfront complex, where red "This Building Is Unsafe"
signs remain duct-taped near stairwells. |
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Structural damagesare visible on the beach side of
the Versailles Sur La Mer condominium complex south of Melbourne
Beach.
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A special magistrate has ordered the condominium
association to repair or demolish the building by March 10, or else daily
$1,000 fines will begin to accrue. The association has requested and
received deadline extensions in recent months.
Built in 1981, Versailles Sur La Mer consists of an underground enclosed
parking garage topped by three residential floors, located in unincorporated
Brevard just south of the Ebb Tide condominium high-rise. A corroded steel
I-beam superstructure system in the garage supports the upper floors, noted
Advanced Engineering, Contracting & Inspections.
The Merritt Island firm inspected the property one month after Irma struck,
at the request of an insurance adjuster.
“Extreme deterioration of the primary steel girders and piers were noted in
numerous locations. The recent hurricane has also stressed and racked the
structure. The recent repairs on the rear of the structure also reveled
underlying support issues and non-conforming repairs along with the garage
ceiling, support system and sub-flooring for the first floor," the firm's
73-page report states.
"The repairs appear to be in excess of 50 percent of the entire structure's
market value,” the report states.
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