JENSEN BEACH -- Residents of the Villa Del Sol community in Jensen Beach are finally returning to their homes after three condo buildings were evacuated nearly two years ago due to structural damage.

 

For Tom Costello, walking back into his condo feels like stepping into the past. "We were shocked that they said that it was not habitable," said Costello, a Villa Del Sol resident. "But we figured that was an engineer's decision, but we had no idea that it was going to be almost two years before we would be back." The evacuation followed a state law passed after the Surfside condo collapse in 2021, requiring milestone inspections for all condominium or cooperative buildings 25 or 30 years old or older, with three or more floors. The inspection revealed structural damage in three buildings, affecting 36 units. Residents were forced to evacuate immediately and could not return until a few weeks ago, when letters from the condo board of directors and structural engineers confirmed it was safe to move back.

Red stickers were placed on the affected condos, marking them as "structurally unsafe." While many residents are now able to return, some have had to leave their condos permanently.

Eric Johnson, a former Villa Del Sol resident, is among those who cannot return.

"We won't be able to make the move back in," Johnson said.

Johnson lived in his condo for more than five years before the emergency evacuation. At the time, it was his primary residence, but since then, he has relocated his family to Georgia.

"I'm happy for everybody that was able to make it back in," Johnson said. "I wish we could have. I mean, it was a dream of ours to live there, and we were able to spend quite a bit of time there."