Residents forcibly removed from hazardous Little Havana building

971 West Flagler Street
971 West Flagler Street

The disgruntled residents of a 30-unit Little Havana building have been forcibly removed from the property today after officials determined that the structure is unsafe for habitation, NBC Miami reported. The three-story Douglas Apartments, which are located at 971 West Flagler Street, lacks a fire alarm system and has illegal partitions, in addition to sewer and electrical problems, according to fire inspectors. Despite being given months to comply with city codes, the building’s owner has yet to attempt an improvement to the property.

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Residents were only given15 minutes to collect their valuables and exit the building today. On Friday, two fire inspectors were injured after a confrontation with the husband of an angry resident. Firefighter Johnny Suarez was clipped by a car of a man upset over the building shut down and another fire inspector was punched after attempting to intercede. The firefighter had to be  take to a nearby hospital for treatment. [NBCMiami]Christopher Cameron