Are the surrounding condos in Miami going to be inspected?

I’m sure they will – especially the second tower on the same property.

Then there are the ones down the street, a couple years newer but on the same road and built right on the beach. I’ve never understood how they got the OK to build high-rises on sand.

As of this morning, the Champlain Towers condos are still being advertised:

https://www.miamiresidence.com/surfside/champlain-towers.htm
https://www.bestofluxuryrealty.com/Surfside/Champlain-Towers-Condos-For-Sale
https://www.miamicondolifestyle.com/champlain-towers-east.php

Have been and will. You betcha!

Yes, but past inspections were done and the Home Owners Association put off doing the repairs.

https://www.constructiondive.com/news/engineers-report-warned-of-structural-damage-prior-to-condos-collapse/602467/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202021-06-28%20Construction%20Dive%20Newsletter%20%5Bissue:35122%5D&utm_term=Construction%20Dive

@elbanditoroso I’m guessing the prices at 8777 Collins are dirt cheap now.
The other Champlain tower is at 8855, just 250 ft up the road. This might be a good time to buy. Offer 1/5 of the asking price and see what happens.

Yes. Everything neat there is going to be inspected.

@LuckyGuy I was thinking about property value too. I’m not thinking about buying anything, but rather thinking about the people who own near there. I was also wondering the people who live in the part of the building that stayed intact, will their insurance cover them? I assume the building will be condemned and imploded eventually. Or, what do you think about that?

@JLeslie I’m guessing everything will be leveled. Either insurance would cover the loss or a new developer would buy people out. It is clear the remaining portion of the building will never be used again. Would you go in there?
The only solution is to start over. If the old places were supposedly selling for 500–600k new places will sell for over a million. That is enough incentive for developers to jump on it.

@LuckyGuy That makes sense about a new developer being able to help these people get some money back, or maybe they can have first dibs on units also at a lower price? That would be nice. Of course, the whole process of constructing a new building would take a few years.

^I don’t know that people would want to live on the site of so many deaths.

I would wait until more is known about the root cause before even thinking about rebuilding. If there is a sinkhole on that stretch of Collins Ave., then people will clear the heck out.

@chyna Most of Florida has a high possibility of deaths (compared to other states) in a household if you are purchasing, we are a state full of older people. I do understand what you are saying though, no argument from me that some people might feel that way. I think they might be more edgy about multiple deaths or just some sort of superstition about the location or afraid of the land being weak.

Side not: luckily, people do not have to disclose a death in a house or apartment when selling, but obviously this sight will always be the place that a building came tumbling down.

@elbanditoroso I think it is doubtful there is a sinkhole, especially if there have been new buildings built there in the last ten years, but I don’t know if there have. I mentioned on another Q that sinkholes are very rare in Southeast Florida, but not impossible. I am interested to see what the final analysis is regarding the structure and what happened.

@elbanditoroso there is no hole QED it is not a sinkhole. (Sinkholes are twenty to fifty feet deep)

It is settling 2 to 3 mm a year for the last twenty years or more. Causing cracks in concrete structural parts.

8777 should have been red-tagged years ago, based on past inspections by contractors and the deterioration of the concrete.

But hey, this is Florida, and hard to tell a condo owner they have to pony up extra to maintain the integrity of their building.

In general (not this specific incident) are you more likely to survive if you live on an upper floor or on a lower floor?

If a building is, say, a 20 story apartment or condo, which level is safer in case of collapse?

@elbanditoroso

None, a free fall of 200 feet with a 20 inch concrete roof on top will crush you; you know what happens on the bottom, 400 inches of floors and roof.

Lucky and you have a void form around you but not likely.

@elbanditoroso When I did my back of the envelope calculations to see it if was a rooftop or bottom floor failure I thought about that. If the failure is at the bottom, everyone is done equally.
If it is a top floor failure, the people at the bottom get almost an 8 second head start to get out of the building. That is too short of a time to figure out what is happening. Just when you start wondering what the sound is you are crushed.
In a smaller 2 story concrete building the top floor would be better than the bottom.
In a building with 3 or more floors you just rely on luck. Maybe the elevator shaft would give you a small chance.