Milestone INspections
Everyone watched in dismay as a condominium tower collapsed in the South Florida town of Surfside. Nearly 100 residents lost their lives during this unfortunate event. In May 2022, the Florida Legislature passed new regulations to help prevent a tragedy from happening in Florida again.
As of July 1, nearly 1 million condominium buildings in Florida must have a Phase One Milestone Inspection. If you are in a condominium building three stories or taller built before 1992, you will receive a notice from your local building department on this new requirement for a Phase One Milestone Inspection. If you are within three miles of the beach, you must have a Phase One Milestone Inspection for your condominium if it was built before 2002.
All Phase One Milestone Inspections must be filed with the local building department by the end of 2024.
You find a lot of firms and companies trying to work with your condominium association to perform your milestone inspections. You'll be required to use a licensed architect or engineer, but we suggest you look further.
Ask these questions:
How many inspections of multi-story condominiums have you done?
How many forensic inspections have you performed?
How often do you work with Condominium Associations?
What is your understanding of how the new law interacts with existing laws, building codes, and regulations?
What is your experience in designing multi-story building structures?
SEP has a long history of providing these services, including inspections of condominium buildings like yours. As you search for the right people to ensure the structural integrity of your building, please reach out to us to work with a complete team of professionals in the condominium association profession.
PHase One Milestone Inspections
The Phase One Milestone Inspection is key to ensuring a condominium association is taking the steps to identify any potential structural defects that may affect the condominium.
It's critical to hire a structural engineer with a long track record of forensic and structural inspections. That engineer will spend time in your building, looking at key areas of concern and determine if further inspections are necessary.
The Phase One Milestone Inspection is required of every condominium three stories or taller in Florida built before 1992 or 2002, depending on location, and must be filed with your local building department.
PHase Two Milestone Inspections
After the Phase One Milestone Inspection, your structural engineer will determine if further investigation and additional intensive testing must be performed on your condominium.
The Phase Two Milestone Inspection will further investigate issues found during the Phase One Milestone Inspection by performing substantial testing and analysis on those areas. The goal of this step will determine the extent of the underlying issue facing your building.
After the Phase Two Milestone Inspection, you should have a comprehensive understanding of what needs to be done by your Condominium Association.