Post-Surfside, Florida engineers say all large buildings need to be inspected

[Zorro]

The recommendations come from seven of the state’s leading engineering associations, which formed a task force earlier this year.

TALLAHASSEE — Florida should require nearly all large buildings be inspected for structural problems within their first 30 years, with follow-ups every 10 years, according to recommendations by the state’s engineering associations made in the wake of the Surfside condominium collapse.

For buildings within three miles of saltwater, such as the beachside Champlain Towers South that suddenly collapsed in June, inspections should be done within the first 20 years of occupancy, with follow-ups every seven years.

The recommendations come from seven of the state’s leading engineering and architecture associations, which formed a task force to come up with ideas to prevent another collapse like the one in Surfside, which killed 98 people.

“We’re looking at this as the bare minimum of what you should do,” said Allen Douglas, executive director of the Florida Engineering Society and the American Council of Engineering Companies of Florida.

The inspections would apply to a wide range of buildings besides condominiums. They would include office buildings and other structures that exceed 10 occupants and are greater than 2,000 square feet that are covered by the state’s building code. One- and two-family dwellings and townhouses three stories or smaller would be exempt.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2021/10/28/post-surfside-florida-engineers-say-all-large-buildings-need-to-be-inspected/