Florida building collapse "theory"?

Don M.

Don M.

SF VIP
Location
central Missouri
I've been wondering how this Florida building could have collapsed so suddenly and completely. It wasn't that old...built in 1981, from what I've read. The fact that it is built on a rather questionable foundation....sandy soil with a porous limestone base, is certainly a factor, but something else keeps making me wonder, and that date of 1981 keeps sticking in my mind.

In looking into events that occurred in Florida, during that time frame, One thing seems to stand out....The Cuban Mariel Boatlift, which occurred in the Summer of 1980, when thousands of Cuban refugees fled to Florida. While the names of the inhabitants of that building, and its residents/victims haven't been released, it seems that most of those interviewed on the news reports seem to have Spanish surnames.

This is making me wonder if that building, and others in that area, was initially built as part of some program to create housing for the thousands of those immigrants. Could it have been built rather hastily, with little attention given to high standards for construction?

This is just "speculation" on my part, but I think there is a whole lot more about that building that needs to be researched. There are hundreds of other buildings on the coastlines that have been built on a similar environment, and still holding up quite well, decades later. Is there something "unique" about this building, and perhaps others built in that area around the same time frame? There is quite likely a whole lot more to this tragedy than we currently know.
 

I haven't stopped thinking about possible causes.

What I'm hoping for is when they raze the remaining standing portion of the building, workers will uncover the truth behind the collapse, or at least be able to paint a better picture as to what unfolded resulting in the collapse.

I can't imagine the inner turmoil that owners of condo units are going through now, wondering if their buildings are next.
 

I worked in construction before and after the 1980s, I never
worked on a high rise building that didn't have piles no matter
the state of the ground, this was not only in Britain, but also in
other parts of the World.

This building according to reports that I read had started to sink
on one side, that is an indication poor ground, I wonder if it did
have any or enough piles.

Who built it, I wonder, Cubans?

Mike.
 
A shifty character, but he should have built the building to
the laws and sand is vicious stuff to built anything on, even
something with a flat bottom and low.

Mike.
 
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There was a article about it looking like they didn't use enough rebar in some of the columns. It's all just conjecture at this point. Like with the World Trade Centers after they fell, it's going to take months before anyone has a definitive explanation for what happened.
 
helenbacque said:
Another possibility - concrete mixed with salt water rather than fresh. It cures fine but does not have durability.
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I think you are referring the use of ocean beach sand in concrete. You're right that the salt deteriorates steel and concrete over time. Using beach sand is a lot cheaper. Like you, I think this was the result of shoddy construction. Even though the building had a leaky pool, and some cracking of pillars, it was habitable. It still had weather integrity, and its "bones' weren't exposed to the elements.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
I think you are referring the use of ocean beach sand in concrete
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Unfortunately in Florida there are some cases in which saltwater was used in concrete, rare but it has happened. Beach sand is more common and you are right it is a poor aggregate, not just because of the salts, it has other problems, the beach environment smooths the sand crystals, not so good as sharper ones. And unfortunately there is also a history of it being used in Florida, probably more so than saltwater.

At this point we don't know much about it, but I am pretty sure the investigations will consider these things...
 
Yesterday’s report was a totally different building had been inspected and was being evacuated,I cynically thought to myself someone must have paid off an inspector.
 
I live in Pennsylvania. We've always been considered the 2nd most corrupt state, after Illinois. We did have more of our ex-legislators in prison than any other state. The reason i mention that is because Florida has always been considered a "good old boy" state. Tallahassee takes care of its own. Maybe, adhering to all those needless building regulations cut into profits.
 
Don M. said:
It looks like this building was "built" by a high roller with a history of questionable financial issues.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/high-rolling-developer-collapsed-florida-090055024.html
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I can't help but this was the peak of the cocaine wars where a lot of money was being laundered in construction. Have to wonder if anyone involved was part of a money laundering scheme ie under pressure to get it done with gangsters and government looking over their shoulder. That could include suppliers, the trades not just 'the' builders.

Was a contractor during the peak of the first boom and some inspectors were sloppy even surprising the project manager and others every inch of work was examined. One I had to follow him around like his dog.
 
oldiebutgoody said:
as with the grid disaster in Texas a few months ago, it's clearly the lack of safety regulations that is the problem
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Problem is they're at the mercy of 40 year old construction including trademen and suppliers. The current regulations were actually going to lead to a 16 million dollar repair. Cameout the permits were being pulled for the parking of construction vehicles 3 days prior.

The condo members probably had a debate over that bill so now going forward they should require condo owners to purchase a bond or insurance for expensive or catastrophic repairs, not just from hurricane damage but for general maintenance repairs like that pool area.
 

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