FL- 12 Story Condo Partial Building Collapse, many still unaccounted for, Miami, 24 June 2021 #2

[zann999]

Behind that wall are the elevator and stairwell.

Thank you!

 

[LadyL]

That family has some stars aligned to even be alive. Sad dad hasn't been found, yet.

This was one of the original articles on the family that goes into Angela was worried about missing a volleyball tournament, and who's cat was just found (go up a few posts on last page for that story). Florida condo collapse: 16-year-old survivor was conscious after falling 'several stories' . Within this original article is information on how to keep updated on their progress (think against TOS to pull out and link directly) and where to send letters/cards etc.

wooh boy that brought tears

 

[LadyL]

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue gives behind-the-scenes look at Surfside building emergency operation

thanks for posting that
very interesting for me

 

[oceanstarryeyes]

The condo association only had 6.9% of the recommended level of money to complete repair and replacement projects and stay financially secure,

What were the SurfSide HOA Fees compared to other Condos the same size and location HOA Fees?

 

[JaimeInLA]

What were the SurfSide HOA Fees compared to other Condos the same size and location HOA Fees?

The HOA fees were $851 BEFORE the special assessment. The assessment for the repairs was going to add another $900 a month to that — for the next 15 years.
Not sure how that compares to others in that area. But mine in Los Angeles were $300 a month for a nice 3-bdrm condo in a nice area.

 

[sds71]

SURFSIDE – Seven more victims from the Champlain Towers South condominium collapse were added to the number of fatalities overnight, but 11 others previously unaccounted for were confirmed to be safe, officials said Saturday.

As a result, the number of possible fatalities — which officials term people "potentially unaccounted for" — dropped by a third, to 43. The number of people confirmed to be safe, which had remained unchanged for days, rose to 211.

No details were given about the whereabouts of those 11 individuals…

Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett reported late Friday that examinations of the Champlain Towers North complex at 8877 Collins Avenue are also picking up pace.
Burkett said an engineer will be taking "samples of the concrete and other materials" from the collapsed Champlain South complex to "compare them to the materials and the structural slabs and the core samples" from the North site.

Surfside condo collapse: Confirmed deaths rise to 86; 11 confirmed safe

Miami-Dade is years behind in making structural repairs at the county’s civil courthouse, which was evacuated Friday after an inspector urged the closing of the 10 highest floors due to an “excessively corroded” column and enough concerns about the status of the floors that he warned a pile of books was too heavy to remain there.

The July 6 report sparked an emergency closing of the 1928 courthouse by the chief judge after county administrators turned over the document, the most drastic action yet for an aging building that’s in the process of being replaced with a new $267 million tower next door, scheduled to open in 2023.

https://www.miamiherald.com/latest-news/article252700273.ece/BINARY/DCC_Courthouse_JUNE 2021 inspection_07-06-2021.pdf#storylink=readmore_inline

Read more here: https://www.miamiherald.com/article252700133.html#storylink=cpy

 

[dotr]

Jul 10, 2021

This Oct. 8, 2020 photo shows the Miami-Dade County Courthouse in Miami. Officials say the Miami-Dade County Courthouse will begin undergoing repairs immediately after a review found safety concerns within the building. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Miami-Dade courthouse closes due to safety concerns after condo collapse | KTLA
''The Miami-Dade County Courthouse will begin undergoing repairs immediately because of safety concerns found during a review prompted by the deadly collapse of a nearby condominium building, officials said.

An engineering firm that examined the 28-story courthouse recommended that it undergo immediate structural repairs and that floors 16 and above be closed. All courthouse employees, including those who work on lower floors, will return to working from home, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and other leaders said in a joint statement late Friday.

In its report, engineering firm U.S. Structures Inc. said that during its June 30 inspection, it found structural distress in various structural members such as support beams and joists, including steel columns that are in “poor condition” and concrete columns that have numerous cracks.''

 

[mickey2942]

The HOA fees were $851 BEFORE the special assessment. The assessment for the repairs was going to add another $900 a month to that — for the next 15 years.
Not sure how that compares to others in that area. But mine in Los Angeles were $300 a month for a nice 3-bdrm condo in a nice area.

$851 is steep already. Add another $900, $1751, plus a mortgage payment? Although some people may have purchased their homes without a mortgage, most people have a mortgage. Guesstimate, $2000 + $1751 = $3751. That is basically a month of pay for someone making around $65,000, more or less, with tax deductions, medical.

So, I guess that would be pretty tough for a lot of people.

 

[Hope32]

Trying to keep my spreadsheet updated.
Also used any links people have also provided.

 

[indicolite22]

Watch as Binx the cat, who lived on the ninth floor of the Surfside condo, is returned to its owners.

https://twitter.com/CBS12/status/1413961522607501317

The cat was returned to a family member - daughter who wasn't home at the time of the collapse. It appears that the family had other animals.

 

[indicolite22]

SURFSIDE TRAGEDY: Benny And Malki Weisz Z'l, From Lakewood Are Both Found In Rubble - The Yeshiva World

With this all the victims from the unit #212 have been identified (one has previously not been confirmed).

 

[indicolite22]

Latest NYT floor by floor status: Floor by Floor, the Missing People and Lost Lives Near Miami

Officials stated elsewhere that 86 victims have been found and 43 people were still unaccounted for. That brings the total to 129. Sixty two have been identified so far and there are 30 more mentioned as missing in the NYT graphic above, which means that 37 of the missing haven't been publicly named. I hope at least some are found to have been elsewhere at the time of the collapse.

 

[indicolite22]

One of the rescuers describing the work on the debris pile:

"The pictures just don't do it justice. The smells are indescribable. Walking past the families to get to the site itself and looking them in the eye, it's heartbreaking,"

More at: https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/1413152294057562112

 

[indicolite22]

Today's press conference: https://twitter.com/MiamiDadePD/status/1414229747299663872

Latest numbers: 90 victims have been found so far, 71 have been identified and 31 are still missing.

The total of found deceased or missing fell from yesterday's 129 to 121 today. That means that 8 people must have been accounted for.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Officials across Florida rethink condo inspection policies (clickondetroit.com)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Across Florida, people living in the thousands of condominiums rising above the state’s 1,350 miles of coastline wonder if the building collapse in Surfside could happen to their home as state and local officials discuss what they can do to make sure it doesn't.

Although building collapses are rare, local governments are looking at whether they need to adopt new inspection policies — the vast majority of counties don't require reinspection of a building once it's completed.

“We inspect bridges every two years and yet a high-rise can go up right on the coast and it’s inspected at the time it’s built and never again,” said Volusia County Chair Jeff Brower, who said residents have sent photos of damaged buildings. “It’s kind of a wake-up call, and some of the pictures I have seen of our own structures are scary.”...

 

[sds71]

@MiamiDadePD
·
We have identified ten additional victims who tragically and unexpectedly lost their lives in the Surfside building collapse, including three young children. Please keep their families and loved ones in your prayers.
@WendyRhodesFl

Officials trying to reach families/friends of about 5 people believed to have been in the collapse who have not been reported missing or safe, said
@MDPD_Director

 

[ilovewings]

That is just the reality of living in such a desirable location. It’s expensive to live next to the ocean.

One of my friends is moving to a small condo, it is only 1200 square feet, and it is inland, not oceanside. Including HOA and mortgage her monthly payment totals $3900.00 per month.

Nearly 4,000 per month and she has an ocean view (distant) from only one window.

We have a nice little condo ( 1200 Sq ft) in Fort Myers on a golf course: We used to vacation in Marco Island, in a high rise, right on the ocean: The ocean view was a million dollars- that was the price to buy the condo--- Everybody wants the ocean view- understandably- it is amazing. I imagine people living in the ocean view condos are going to be re-thinking in light of what happened at Surfside.

 

[SeesSeas]

snip:

I imagine people living in the ocean view condos are going to be re-thinking in light of what happened at Surfside.

I keep wondering about damage to the hundreds of mid-rise and high-rise coastal condos in my county on FL Gulf Coast.
https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/...erts-say-yes-if-building-isnt-well-maintained
Could condo collapse happen in Tampa Bay? Experts say 'yes' if building isn't well maintained
Jul 05, 2021
PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — More than a week after a deadly Surfside, Florida, building collapse, there are still plenty of questions about what led to the tragedy and whether the same thing could conceivably happen in the Tampa Bay region.

The I-Team interviewed a world-renowned engineer, a building inspector and an attorney who represents clients in building defect cases about what they think contributed to the building’s collapse.
[...]
“The same things are going on in the whole state of Florida”
Retired building inspector Glenn Hall says it’s not unusual to see significant damage to condominiums in Florida, especially in units built in coastal areas.

“I’ve worked all over the state of Florida and the same things are going on in the whole state of Florida,” Hall said. “You’ve got sea surges, you’ve got saltwater intrusion. You’ve got 40 years of that stuff beating on that building, getting into those windows.”

Hall says that damages stucco, concrete and steel.
[...]
20,030 Pinellas County high-rise, or mid-rise condo units, were built in 1981 or before
There are more than 100,000 condominium units in the Tampa Bay Region, according to property records in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee and Sarasota Counties.

Mid-rise buildings, which stand between 4 and 11 stories and high-rise buildings, which are 12 stories or more, are most prominent along the Gulf Coast and Tampa Bay, where property prices are the highest and where weather conditions are often the worst.

Because these are often considered the best locations, they also include some of the Tampa Bay area’s tallest buildings.

In Pinellas County, which has the largest coastline, the property appraiser says there are 283 mid-rise or high-rise condo complexes built in 1981 or earlier. Those contain 22,030 units.
[...]
Experts say condo owners should become involved with their associations, attend board meetings and insist that maintenance issues are quickly addressed.

“Someone else is not responsible. It’s still your own house in a way, only it’s your own house up in the air. And you have to make certain that someone’s taking care of it,” Levy said.
[...]

 

[SeesSeas]

Clearwater condo management praised for life-saving action | WFLA
Clearwater condo management praised for life-saving action
Updated: Jul 10, 2021
CLEARWATER, Fla. (WFLA) – As details continue emerging about what went wrong leading up to the Surfside condo building collapse, a general contractor is praising one Tampa Bay area property management group for doing everything right.

Gregg Darby is a general contractor who has been involved in construction for 50 years. He said when he was called to repair a ceiling in October, he was able to quickly notice a structural issue.

Management of Villa Del Mar, a five-story condo in Clearwater, was told about the scare and that they had to take action. Now they’re getting praise for their reaction.

“The concrete above the drywall ceiling was pushing down on the ceiling because the tension cables and the rebar were moving,” Darby said.

With insufficient concrete around the reinforcement, Darby said it could have potentially collapsed down the road. However, he said the management company wasted no time and had repairs underway in a month.
[...]

 

[PayrollNerd]

We have a nice little condo ( 1200 Sq ft) in Fort Myers on a golf course: We used to vacation in Marco Island, in a high rise, right on the ocean: The ocean view was a million dollars- that was the price to buy the condo--- Everybody wants the ocean view- understandably- it is amazing. I imagine people living in the ocean view condos are going to be re-thinking in light of what happened at Surfside.

I definitely think those owners along the coastline everywhere that have been whining and griping about expenses will shut up or put up now. Or, maybe, they'll just sell and walk away. You can throw a fit all dang day, but you're still going to pay for maintenance. I'm in Sarasota County. I have friends who are so frustrated with those who hold up maintenance, refuse to pay, complain constantly, veto any expense, etc. It's like why are you even living here, if you're not willing to take care of it???

It's a trade off. You either pay for more free time - no physical home maintenance duties like mowing or, you buy a single family home and mow your own grass. Sweat equity has value but people just don't recognize it, or refuse to acknowledge it, when there is a price tag attached. Either way, you're going to pay, even as a renter.