Five years after the fatal collapse of the Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida, which killed 98 people, a state report has identified thousands of condominium buildings with substantial structural damage. According to the Florida Legislature’s Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA), more than 2,500 buildings were flagged for significant structural deterioration in 2024 and 2025.
Despite many of these structures being deemed unsafe or uninhabitable, only five buildings have been evacuated. The report noted that in the previous year, 25 buildings were identified as unsafe and uninhabitable, with most located in Miami-Dade County and remaining occupied. This figure represented a slight decrease from 2024, when 30 buildings were classified as unsafe or uninhabitable, and five were evacuated.
The OPPAGA report highlighted a lack of a clear official definition for 'uninhabitable,' leaving inspectors to make that determination. The damage assessments are part of mandated milestone inspections for certain buildings, a requirement enacted following the 2021 Champlain Towers South tragedy. Florida law now mandates that condominium and cooperative buildings three stories or higher and of a certain age undergo these inspections.
The inspection process involves a visual survey, followed by a more in-depth phase two inspection if substantial structural deterioration is detected. Building owners then have one year to begin necessary repairs. Between 2024 and 2025, over 900 permit applications for repairs were submitted, with costs ranging from $1,000 to $30 million. The average permit cost was $337,229 in 2024 and $496,236 in 2025. More than 80 buildings required repairs exceeding $1 million over the two-year period, often involving issues with concrete, electrical systems, and structural integrity.
Specific examples of deficiencies cited in the report include adhesion sealant failure on a walkway in Osceola County and corroded structural elements in a Pinellas County building.
Concerns remain that additional buildings could be at risk, as not all jurisdictions fully participated in the mandated inspections. The investigation into the Champlain Towers South collapse revealed that the building's steel-reinforced concrete columns were insufficiently strong, with potential deficiencies noted even from its construction in 1981. The failure of the concrete pool deck, which likely destabilized a crucial support beam, is considered the primary trigger for the catastrophic collapse.
