Structural engineers call for more in-depth inspections of coastal buildings in harsh corrosive climates, and offer recommendations that go beyond visual surveys.

Under the county's equitable distribution program, the Miami-Dade Police Department is seeking a qualified local forensic engineer with high-rise experience and familiarity with concrete construction to study a recent collapse in Surfside, immediately north of Miami Beach. 

Building officials of Miami-Dade County suspect deferred maintenance rather than weak building codes or an inadequate 40-year recertification process required by the county was the likely reason for the June 24 building failure in Surfside, Fla. The partial collapse of the 40-year-old Champlain Towers South residential condominium caused at least 98 fatalities.

Structural engineer studying the near-twin of the Surfside, Fla., condo that collapsed says there is no indication of the potential for a collapse.

Structural engineers have pieced together the probable sequence of the fatal progressive collapse of part of the 12.5-story residential condominium in Surfside, Fla., but the trigger remains a mystery.

A 2018 structural field survey report sheds light on the likely condition of the building at the time of the collapse, but says no repairs had been started as of June 2020.