The ripple effect from the partially collapsed condominium tower in Surfside has reached Holmes Beach.
City Commissioner Terry Schaefer said July 1 that following the tragedy in Surfside, he spoke with members of the Holmes Beach building department about reviewing inspection standards for multistory buildings.
“They agreed that we need to be proactive in researching our responsibilities in the community for the safety of those within the buildings,” Schaefer said.
First responders have been searching for survivors amid the rubble in Surfside since June 24, when 55 of 136 units at Champlain Towers South condominiums collapsed.
There were 20 people confirmed dead as of July 2, while 126 others remained unaccounted for in the flattened buildings.
In the days since the collapse, the town has opened an investigation into the cause of the disaster and has discussed changes to its building code, such as reducing a 40-year recertification period, to prevent similar disasters in the future.
Holmes Beach’s former building official, James McGuinness, was hired as Surfside’s building official in February and reportedly visited the tower and inspected work on the roof only a day before it collapsed.
Surfside’s previous building official, Ross Prieto, has been the target of much of the criticism surrounding the tragedy, since he reportedly signed off on an engineer’s 2018 report noting the building had “major structural damage” but told people the structure was in good condition.
Prieto went on administrative leave from his job, where he was temporarily assigned to Doral’s building department as a contractor for CAP Government Inc.
Schaefer said Holmes Beach building department staff would present their findings about potential code changes at a future commission meeting.
“They are doing their research and are to report back to the commission when they’ve gathered accurate information and a determination of what we as a city can do in regard to inspections of multistory buildings,” Schaefer said.
Neal Schwartz, Holmes Beach’s current building official, did not respond to July 2 inquiries by phone and email from The Islander.