A deadly collapse at a Florida condo happened slowly over several weeks, probe finds

Key Points:

• The 2021 collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside, Florida, which killed 98 people, was preceded by weeks of structural failures starting in early June, according to a final report by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
• The investigation found that the building's design did not meet code requirements from the start, with critical weaknesses in the garage columns and pool deck connections exacerbated by later alterations and corrosion, leading to a slow-motion collapse.
• Residents reported visible cracks and water leaks in the weeks before the collapse, and eyewitnesses described the pool deck failing sequentially like dominoes shortly before the tower sections fell.
• The disaster prompted legislative changes in Florida, including laws requiring condo associations to maintain sufficient reserves for major repairs and providing more flexibility in managing maintenance costs.
• The original design and construction firms from the 1970s are no longer in business, and a $1 billion settlement has been approved for victims' families and survivors.