Who We Help
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Understand your rights, your building’s inspection requirements, and what questions to ask your board and property manager.
Get plain-language definitions of the engineering and legal terms you’ll encounter during inspections, board meetings, and reserve discussions.
Stay informed on the Florida legislation shaping your community, including Binding Interpretation 318 covering Windows, Doors, and Sliding Doors.
Learn what a Milestone Inspection involves and what to ask your board or property manager before, during, and after the process.
Learn to recognize early indicators of structural issues before they become major concerns
Learn how Threshold Inspections protect your building during construction, including a dedicated Guide for Threshold Inspections for Windows, Doors, and Sliding Doors in Florida
Resources to help you make informed decisions about your building and find the right support when you need it.
Get plain-language definitions of the engineering and legal terms you’ll encounter during inspections,
board meetings, and reserve discussions.
Discover practical preventive maintenance tips to protect your building, prevent costly repairs, and extend its structural life in Florida.
Preventing moisture intrusion can be made easy with a well-thought-out building envelope.
Florida’s coastal climate and hurricane seasons push buildings to their limits, resulting in peeling paint, cracking walls, sticking doors, and ponding water.
Learn how Threshold Inspections protect your building during construction, including a dedicated Guide for Threshold Inspections for Windows, Doors, and Sliding Doors in Florida
Practical tools and guidance to help you support your boards, manage inspection timelines, and communicate structur-
al issues with confidence.
Get plain-language definitions of the engineering and legal terms you’ll encounter during inspections,
board meetings, and reserve discussions.
Stay informed on the Florida legislation shaping your community, including Binding Interpretation 318 covering Windows, Doors, and Sliding Doors.
Practical Guide for Community Association Managers in Florida: When to call an Engineer, how to scope a project, and how to communicate findings to boards and residents.
Quick reference guide for community association managers.
Learn how Threshold Inspections protect your building during construction, including a dedicated Guide for Threshold Inspections for Windows, Doors, and Sliding Doors in Florida
Learn to recognize early indicators of structural issues before they become major concerns
Stay on top of inspection deadlines, structural compliance requirements, and the questions owners expect you to have answered
Get plain-language definitions of the engineering and legal terms you’ll encounter during inspections,
board meetings, and reserve discussions.
Stay informed on the Florida legislation shaping your community, including Binding Interpretation 318 covering Windows, Doors, and Sliding Doors.
Learn what a Milestone Inspection involves and what to ask your board or property manager before,
during, and after the process.
Structural Maintenance Priorities for Coastal Florida Buildings
Learn how Threshold Inspections protect your building during construction, including a dedicated Guide for Threshold Inspections for Windows, Doors, and Sliding Doors in Florida
Technical resources and reference materials to support collaboration on structural design, inspections, and code compliance.
Link to the Florida Building Code site and FBPE statutes/rules . The 8th Edition (2023) is in effect, while the 9th Edition (2026) is in development.
Before/after examples, lessons learned, coordination points, and technical challenges from real Florida restoration projects – useful for design and specification.
Reduce risk and avoid costly change orders with resources on early structural review, code compliance, and project planning.
A concise guide for avoiding late-stage surprises related to existing conditions, deferred maintenance, envelope issues, and code-related triggers.
Discover practical preventive maintenance tips to protect your building, prevent costly repairs, and extend its structural life in Florida.
Preventing moisture intrusion can be made easy with a well-thought-out building envelope.
Florida’s coastal climate and hurricane seasons push buildings to their limits, resulting in peeling paint, cracking walls, sticking doors, and ponding water.
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 A technical resource for design professionals navigating Florida’s threshold inspection statutes, Special Inspector requirements, and the coordination demands that determine project success.
Guide for Threshold Inspections for Windows, Doors, and Sliding Doors in Florida
Answers to the questions Florida condo owners, board members, and property managers ask most. Click any question to expandÂ
A Milestone Inspection is a structural integrity review of a condominium or cooperative building required under Florida law following the Surfside condo collapse in 2021. The purpose is to assess whether a building’s load-bearing structure is safe for continued occupancy.
Who is required to get one? Under Florida Statute 553.899, milestone inspections are required for:
What does it involve? Phase 1 is a visual assessment by a licensed Engineer or Architect. If signs of substantial structural deterioration are discovered in Phase 1, then a Phase 2 inspection is triggered involving more detailed testing and analysis.
The inspection report must be submitted to the local building official, and a summary must be distributed to all unit owners and the association within 45 days of completion.
Coastal buildings in Florida face some of the most aggressive conditions affecting concrete longevity in the country. The primary culprit is chloride-induced corrosion. Salt from the ocean air, spray, and groundwater penetrates the concrete and attacks the steel reinforcing bars (rebar) inside.
Here is what happens step by step:
Additional contributing factors to concrete deterioration include high humidity and wind-driven rain, thermal cycling from Florida’s heat, carbonation lowering concrete’s pH, and inadequate concrete cover in older buildings where rebar was placed too close to the surface.
Early detection through regular visual inspections and sounding surveys, which involve tapping the surface to identify hollow areas, is the most cost-effective way to manage coastal concrete deterioration.
A Threshold Inspection is a construction-phase inspection required under Florida law (Florida Statute 553.79) for buildings classified as “threshold buildings.” It is performed by a Special Inspector — a specially licensed Engineer or Architect who monitors and verifies that critical structural elements are built correctly during construction or significant renovation.
What qualifies as a threshold building?
Why does it matter for HOAs and condo communities?
For existing threshold buildings, such as multi-story/high-rise condos, threshold inspections are required for any structural repair work and for replacing windows, doors, and sliding glass doors. Binding Interpretation 318 clarifies that fenestration replacement work triggers threshold inspection requirements even during renovation, not just new construction.
The Special Inspector’s findings are documented in a signed and sealed report submitted to the building official. The report becomes part of the permanent building record.
Water intrusion is one of the most damaging and commonly overlooked issues in Florida buildings. Because water travels, visible signs sometimes appear away from the actual source. Points of intrusion include gaps and separations in caulking or sealant around windows and doors, at expansion joints, and in deteriorating or missing flashing at roof edges, parapets, and unsealed penetrations.
On exterior surfaces, signs of water intrusion include:
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On interior surfaces:
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On balconies and common areas:
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When multiple signs appear together, an engineering assessment is warranted. Early intervention is significantly less costly than deferred repair.
Rebar corrosion is one of the most common and serious structural issues affecting concrete balconies in Florida, particularly in coastal communities.
How it starts: Salt air, moisture, and carbonation gradually break down the protective concrete cover over the steel reinforcing bars. Once chlorides reach the rebar, corrosion begins. As rust forms, it expands, causing cracks and pushing off the surrounding concrete.
What a restoration project involves:
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Buildings that address rebar corrosion early, at the surface-staining or hairline-crack stage, typically face far smaller repair areas than those where spalling and delamination have been allowed to persist over time due to deferred repair/maintenance.
These two terms are often used interchangeably, but they describe distinct stages of concrete deterioration. Understanding the difference helps boards and property managers communicate more accurately with engineers and contractors.
Concrete Delamination
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Concrete Spalling
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In practice, delamination is what engineers find via a sounding survey; spalling is what can already be seen. If you can see the damage, delamination has progressed for some time, resulting in the visible spall.
The June 2021 collapse of the Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida, fundamentally changed how the state approaches building safety inspections.
The 40-Year Recertification
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The Milestone Inspection (Post-Surfside, Florida Statute 553.899)
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The Surfside collapse revealed that the patchwork of local ordinances had left many Florida buildings without inspection requirements. The Milestone Inspection law closed that gap, but has also created significant compliance deadlines that many associations are still working to meet.
Technical and regulatory questions our design and construction partners ask most often. Click any question to expand.
A Threshold Inspection is a construction-phase inspection required under Florida Statute 553.79 for buildings classified as “threshold buildings.” It is performed by a specially licensed Engineer or Architect who monitors and verifies that critical structural elements are built correctly during construction or significant renovation.
What qualifies as a threshold building?
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When is it triggered during renovation?
For existing threshold buildings, such as multi-story/high-rise condos, threshold inspections are required for any structural repair work and for replacing windows, doors, and sliding glass doors. Binding Interpretation 318 clarifies that fenestration replacement work triggers threshold inspection requirements even during renovation, not just new construction.
The Special Inspector’s findings are documented in a signed and sealed report submitted to the building official. The report becomes part of the permanent building record.
The 8th Edition (2023) of the Florida Building Code is currently in effect statewide. The 9th Edition (2026) is under development and has not yet been adopted.
Florida updates its building code on a three-year cycle, with the Florida Building Commission responsible for adoption and amendments.
On Florida projects, particularly those involving existing buildings, coastal sites, or phased construction, bringing a structural engineer in early is one of the most cost-effective risk management decisions a Developer or Owner can make.
What early engagement typically uncovers:
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The cost math: Engineering fees invested during preconstruction/due diligence and design development are typically a fraction of the cost of a single significant change order. In restoration and renovation projects specifically, unknown existing conditions are the most common driver of cost overruns, and the most preventable with an early assessment.
BillerReinhart frequently partners with Developers and Owners at the due diligence phase, before contracts are signed, to provide a realistic picture of structural conditions and scope.
Threshold Inspection coordination is one of the more administratively complex requirements in Florida construction. Here are the key points design professionals need to manage effectively:
Responsibility and authority: The threshold building inspector, known as the Special Inspector, is the specially licensed Engineer or Architect who oversees the inspection program. They must be retained by the owner, not the contractor, which affects how this role is established in the project delivery process.
The Threshold Inspection Plan: Before construction begins, a written plan must be submitted to the building official that outlines which structural elements will be inspected, the inspection frequency, and the qualifications of the inspection staff. This document, prepared by the Engineer of Record, drives the entire inspection program.
Common coordination pitfalls:
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BillerReinhart serves as Special Inspector on projects across Florida and can be engaged as a consultant during design to help identify requirements and structure the inspection program before permit submission.
Coastal buildings in Florida face some of the most aggressive conditions affecting concrete longevity in the country. The primary culprit is chloride-induced corrosion. Salt from the ocean air, spray, and groundwater penetrates the concrete and attacks the steel reinforcing bars (rebar) inside.
Here is what happens step by step:
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Additional contributing factors to concrete deterioration include high humidity and wind-driven rain, thermal cycling from Florida’s heat, carbonation lowering concrete’s pH, and inadequate concrete cover in older buildings where rebar was placed too close to the surface.
Design and specification implications: For Architects and Engineers, coastal durability planning should include adequate concrete cover per ACI 318 and Florida Building Code Chapter 19, use of low water-cement ratio mixes, consideration of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), corrosion-inhibiting admixtures on high-exposure elements, and protective coatings or deck membranes on horizontal surfaces. For existing buildings, understanding the stage of deterioration informs the choice among repair, rehabilitation, or section replacement as the appropriate intervention.
These terms describe distinct stages of the same deterioration process and carry different implications for assessment, urgency, and the scope of repair.
Concrete Delamination
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Concrete Spalling
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For specification and contract purposes, delamination is typically addressed by saw-cutting and removing the delaminated section, followed by structural patching. Spalled areas require the same approach but may also require evaluation of rebar section loss before repair. Both conditions should be documented with repair drawings and material specifications from the Engineer of record.
The June 2021 collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside produced the most significant changes to Florida’s building inspection regulatory framework in decades. For design and construction professionals, understanding the new landscape matters for project due diligence, client advisory, and the engineering services market.
Florida Statute 553.899, Milestone Inspections:
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Florida Statute 718.112, Structural Integrity Reserve Studies (SIRS):
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For Engineers and Architects, the Milestone Inspection requirement represents a substantial and ongoing source of structural assessment work across Florida. For Developers and Owners, the SIRS requirement increases the due diligence burden for existing building acquisitions and renovation projects.
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