“At this point, I can’t say when we’ll be done,” said Allyn Kilsheimer, a world-renowned structural engineer.
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What caused an oceanfront condominium to collapse in the middle of the night last summer is a question engineers are no closer to answering today, according to one of the experts investigating the historic tragedy.Eight months after images of a coastal condominium crumbling to the ground shocked and horrified the nation, one of the experts investigating the tragedy said he will not be able to provide any conclusions by the year anniversary this June. |
Meanwhile,
Representative Jackie Toledo (R-Tampa), a civil engineer by
trade, is pushing bills that amp up inspection and
recertification requirements.
If HB 7069 passes, the bill would require buildings three
stories or taller to be re-certified 30 years after initial
occupancy. If a building is within three miles of the coast,
that re-certification would be required after 25 years. In
addition, the bill would require re-certification every 10
years after that initial re-certification and would impose
penalties if those requirements are not met.
In addition, despite failed efforts that would have required
structural engineers in Florida to hold a special license,
HB 375 allows them to obtain a special certification that
sets them apart. Currently, any engineer in Florida can sign
off on building designs.
“I’m a civil engineer and I can sign and seal drawings but I
don’t have the expertise or experience to do that. My morals
and ethics make me not seal structure drawings but some
people might not know that,” she said. Toledo added “this
was such a tragedy and we want to do anything and everything
to avoid further tragedies,” she said.
But Kilsheimer said adding state laws to beef up inspections
and the resumes of those doing them boil down to experience
and knowledge.
“The key here is to make sure the people doing the
recertification are knowledgeable in the types of structures
they’re looking at,” he said.
While the bills make their way to becoming new state laws,
the hunt for answers continues at a much slower pace.