Investigation into Florida condo collapse is expected to finish in 2026

More than four years after a collapse of condominium in Florida killed 98 people, federal investigators have not yet determined the cause – but they have leading theories.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology, the agency that manages the survey, said this week that it hoped to conclude the survey in 2026.

“We intend to know our investigation into this inability to have a lasting impact, to save future lives and to ensure that this is no longer happening,” said NIST investigator Judith Mitrani-Reiser in the agency’s latest report.

Most of the residents were asleep in the 12 -storey Champlain towers to the south when the condo building by the sea in the Surfside, Florida, collapsed in a huge bunch of rubble at 1:22 am on June 24, 2021. While the investigation continued, a judge of Miami approved a regulation of more than a billion dollars for personal injuries and the pretenders of unjust death.

Meanwhile, a new luxury condominium rises on the Champlain Towers site, a few kilometers north of Miami.

The NIST has been zero on what it calls three scenarios of “greater number”, all linked to the construction defects which date from the start of the 40 -year structure.

“These conditions existed from the moment the construction was finished, 40 years before the partial collapse,” said Glen Bell, co-investigator of the national NIST construction safety team.

One possibility is the failure of a connection between a construction column and the pool bridge slab which has never respected the building code standards. Another is that the strengthening of steel “was not placed where it should have been”, which meant that the column and the pool bridge were far too weak.

And a third theory is that work done later in the swimming pool – when heavy planters, sand and pavers have been added – increased the weight load on a bridge “which was already functionally and structurally inadequate”.

The report of the NIST also notes that the support columns in the parking lot of the building of the building had been exposed to frequent floods, which causes corrosion in steel reinforcements and the deterioration of concrete.

Investigators did not find any evidence of gaps in the ground under the building, known as “Karst”. Using satellite data, the NIST team discovered that there was no shipwreck or settling under Champlain towers, which would indicate the existence of Karst.

In addition, the investigators found that the limestone on which the condo was built was “sufficient to transport the construction charges” and that the tests of the concrete support champlaine towers had “adequate material resistance”.

A challenge for investigators was the lack of available files from the original construction of the building and few of its previous years.

After surfside, states legislators promulgated a law in 2022 forcing condo associations to have sufficient reserves to cover major repairs. Some residents have been taken over by high costs imposed to cover years of delayed maintenance costs necessary to bring their buildings in accordance with the laws of the law.

Governor Ron Desantis has signed new legislation this week allowing certain condo associations to finance their reservations with a loan or a line of credit. It also gives residents more flexibility to suspend payments in reserve funds while prioritizing the necessary repairs. It extends the deadline for condos associations to complete structural integrity studies and exempt certain smaller buildings from these studies.

“It’s now time to change,” said state senator Ed Hooper. “The elderly lose their condos because they could not afford to increase their monthly Hoa costs. It’s just false. “

It is a luxury condo building, nicknamed the Delmore, with 37 “Le Mansons in the Sky” and a starting price of $ 15 million. The site was bought at auction by Damac International, based in Dubai, for $ 120 million.

According to the company, there will be equipment such as a transparent swimming pool, an indoor swimming pool, outdoor kitchen, a fitness center and a meditation garden.

The new condo should be completed by 2029.

A conception for a memorial of the 98 victims and which honors their family was approved earlier this year by surfside officials and a family committee. However, the city planning and zoning board of directors opposed its appearance and recommended that alternatives be taken into account.

The existing proposal envisages a large “wall of water” and an exposure of collapsed building materials. Surfside officials say they want to keep the project on the right track, but will consider additional contributions, in particular the family committee.

“I understand the urgency. But this memorial will be far beyond anyone in this room,” said Lindsay Lecour, president of the planning council, during a meeting of the city commission in April.