Miami-Dade County Courthouse Miami-Dade County Courthouse at sunrise. Photo: J. Albert Diaz

Miami-Dade County shut down three courthouses and a child support division for the afternoon Tuesday after people in some downtown Miami buildings felt shaking from an intense Caribbean earthquake.

The county's internal services department ordered the evacuation of the Miami-Dade County Courthouse, the Lawson E. Thomas Courthouse Center, the Miami-Dade Children's Courthouse and the Overtown child support office as a precautionary measure.

Employees were advised to return to work Wednesday unless they were notified to stay away.

People streamed out of several office buildings in the downtown and Brickell neighborhoods, but there were no reports of damage. Workers in other buildings felt nothing.

The earthquake registered 7.7 on the Richter scale and was centered between Jamaica and Cuba, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The shaking was felt across much of Cuba.

The historic Miami-Dade courthouse is in its final years of service after repeated attempts to find a new home for civil cases and the clerk's office following problems with asbestos, roof and plumbing leaks and mold. A replacement is set to open in 2024.