“The intention behind them was to create an extra set of inspections done by an independent third party to ensure that the field conditions met, or were in compliance with the construction documents that had been reviewed and approved,” said Nick Bradford, a structural engineer for The Structures Group.įlorida lawmakers passed the threshold inspection law in the wake of another building collapse a little more than 40 years ago. The FBPE said inspectors also keep communication between the owner, the structural engineer of record, the city or county, and the general contractor.Ī local Tampa structural engineer who performs threshold inspections says the threshold inspection law creates an extra set of safety steps for assembly-type buildings. The inspector also reviews all inspection and testing reports. Any building that is a threshold building must have a threshold building inspector inspect the structural elements during construction to make sure everything follows the law/code.Īccording to the Florida Board of Professional Engineers, a threshold inspector performs the inspections and maintains logbooks of inspections and deficiencies. The law, contained in Section 553.71 of the Florida statutes, defines a threshold building as a building greater than three stories or 50 feet in height or a building having an assembled occupancy that exceeds 5,000 square feet and has an occupancy content of greater than 500 persons. One area that has been discussed in the immediate aftermath of the collapse is Florida’s threshold inspection law.

As rescue workers continue to search the wreckage of Champlain Towers in Surfside, Florida, the building codes in Florida are in the spotlight.

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