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Surfside FL - On the Hook - Miami-Area Condo Owners Pushed Town for Construction Approvals Days Before Collapse

doerunn

SuperCane
Jul 13, 2001
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west central florida
Copied from the Main Board. Tragic

Miami-Area Condo Owners Pushed Town for Construction Approvals Days Before Collapse​

"This is holding us up", the Champlain Towers South property manager emailed Surfside officials;​

town manager said "no indication of need for emergency action"

Going to get ugly - Lawsuits for years

SURFSIDE, Fla—In the days before the collapse of Champlain Towers South, condo owners and the property manager were pressing Surfside officials to approve additional construction work that the owners intended to complete as part of the building’s 40-year recertification, according to documents released Sunday by the town.

The documents shed light on the building’s final days, as condo owners prepared for a long-awaited remediation to address the property’s structural problems and as town officials reviewed the owners’ plans.

The emails show that condo owners and town officials frequently communicated online and that the property manager wanted faster responses to their queries.

They add to a growing picture of long-running disagreements and delays before the collapse of Champlain Towers South on June 24, which killed at least 24 people and left about 120 unaccounted for.

As early as May, condo owners had requested approval for additional parking and a gas line, the records show. Frank Morabito, an engineer hired by the condo association, wrote in a May 20 email to town officials that resolving the parking issue for residents was critical to commencing 40-year recertification-related construction, including repairs of deteriorated concrete. Engineers have pointed to damaged concrete as a contributing factor in the building’s collapse.
 
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Copied from the Main Board. Tragic

Miami-Area Condo Owners Pushed Town for Construction Approvals Days Before Collapse​

"This is holding us up", the Champlain Towers South property manager emailed Surfside officials;​

town manager said "no indication of need for emergency action"

Going to get ugly - Lawsuits for years

SURFSIDE, Fla—In the days before the collapse of Champlain Towers South, condo owners and the property manager were pressing Surfside officials to approve additional construction work that the owners intended to complete as part of the building’s 40-year recertification, according to documents released Sunday by the town.

The documents shed light on the building’s final days, as condo owners prepared for a long-awaited remediation to address the property’s structural problems and as town officials reviewed the owners’ plans.

The emails show that condo owners and town officials frequently communicated online and that the property manager wanted faster responses to their queries.

They add to a growing picture of long-running disagreements and delays before the collapse of Champlain Towers South on June 24, which killed at least 24 people and left about 120 unaccounted for.

As early as May, condo owners had requested approval for additional parking and a gas line, the records show. Frank Morabito, an engineer hired by the condo association, wrote in a May 20 email to town officials that resolving the parking issue for residents was critical to commencing 40-year recertification-related construction, including repairs of deteriorated concrete. Engineers have pointed to damaged concrete as a contributing factor in the building’s collapse.

Not good, I had a feeling we would be hearing stuff like this.
 
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Copied from the Main Board. Tragic

Miami-Area Condo Owners Pushed Town for Construction Approvals Days Before Collapse​

"This is holding us up", the Champlain Towers South property manager emailed Surfside officials;​

town manager said "no indication of need for emergency action"

Going to get ugly - Lawsuits for years

SURFSIDE, Fla—In the days before the collapse of Champlain Towers South, condo owners and the property manager were pressing Surfside officials to approve additional construction work that the owners intended to complete as part of the building’s 40-year recertification, according to documents released Sunday by the town.

The documents shed light on the building’s final days, as condo owners prepared for a long-awaited remediation to address the property’s structural problems and as town officials reviewed the owners’ plans.

The emails show that condo owners and town officials frequently communicated online and that the property manager wanted faster responses to their queries.

They add to a growing picture of long-running disagreements and delays before the collapse of Champlain Towers South on June 24, which killed at least 24 people and left about 120 unaccounted for.

As early as May, condo owners had requested approval for additional parking and a gas line, the records show. Frank Morabito, an engineer hired by the condo association, wrote in a May 20 email to town officials that resolving the parking issue for residents was critical to commencing 40-year recertification-related construction, including repairs of deteriorated concrete. Engineers have pointed to damaged concrete as a contributing factor in the building’s collapse.
Doerunn I wrote a thread on my perspective as a condo board President about 1 week ago. In it I talked about how difficult it is for Condo Boards to get things done. From money, to plans and protocols, to the bidding process, and the City Building Departments. A project like that would take 2+ years to get thru everything before any work could even commence. It's a real problem I encounter it on the most simple building permits.
 
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Doerunn I wrote a thread on my perspective as a condo board President about 1 week ago. In it I talked about how difficult it is for Condo Boards to get things done. From money, to plans and protocols, to the bidding process, and the City Building Departments. A project like that would take 2+ years to get thru everything before any work could even commence. It's a real problem I encounter it on the most simple building permits.
Sounds like if you need 40 year recertification you should begin the process in year 35, not year 40 then?
 
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Sounds like if you need 40 year recertification you should begging the process in year 35, not year 40 then?
No because the building is not 40 years old. That would result in an engineering study repeated 5 years later. Estimated cost for Engineering study? At least 40-50K. BreakingCane trust me I've been President of my high end luxury condo on the beach for 8 of the 9 years since developer turned over the building to the Owners. The simplest projects take months to get a repair protocol, bid it, and get a permit. Recently I tried to pull permit to replace sliding glass doors under warranty claim. It took 5 months and numerous emails and zoom calls with engineers and city officials. It ain't easy brother...............Paint the building? A year + to bid it out.
 
Unfortunately too little, way too late; engineer had 84 sheets of plans so this was to be a major undertaking with a lengthy review.
Obviously a critical mistake in not advising to shore the beams and columns with exposed reinforcement.
Owner’s critical mistake was not replacing the waterproofing 20 years ago at the end of its lifespan.
Owner’s first mistake in the renovation was not hiring an architect; instead hired an engineer.
Hard to blame the building department in my view.
 
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