Officials across Florida rethink condo inspection polices

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — 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.”

He's in contact with the governor's office on the issue but thinks acting locally will be quicker. One idea is reinspecting new buildings after 10 years and, depending on what's found, inspecting again another decade later.

Miami-Dade County, where the 40-year-old Champlain Towers South partially collapsed last month, requires buildings to be recertified as safe every 40 years and every 10 years after that.

“We definitely have to have inspection of the infrastructure of these buildings,” Brower said. “They're not falling all over the place, but we don't want even one more like the tragedy at Surfside.”

Florida’s beachfront high-rises take a beating from storms, saltwater and sea air, which can wear down concrete and rust rebar. There isn’t a mile of Florida’s coastline that hasn’t been affected in one way or another by hurricanes and tropical storms in the past 40 years — with some areas taking multiple hits.

Although construction...