Clearwater condo residents return days after structural crack forced evacuation

Residents cleared to return to condo building

After a crack in a support column forced dozens of people out of a Clearwater condo building, many are returning home -- but some restrictions are still in place. FOX 13's Regina Gonzalez reports.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Several days after residents were urgently evacuated from a 12-story condominium building in Clearwater, much of the building has reopened with some restrictions still in place.

Evacuation of condo building

The backstory:

On May 6, Clearwater Fire & Rescue and Clearwater police officers went door to door, evacuating about 60 people from the South Beach III Condos, located at 1460 Gulf Boulevard.

Pictured: South Beach III Condos.

City officials said construction workers discovered a growing crack in a support column in the building’s parking garage.

Pictured: A growing crack in a support column in the building’s parking garage.

No injuries were reported, but officials said no one would be allowed back inside until engineers deemed it safe.

PREVIOUS: Clearwater condo residents could be displaced for days after evacuations ordered

Dig deeper:

A state law put into place after the Surfside condo collapse in 2021 requires aging condo buildings to undergo structural inspections every 10 years. According to official reports, the condo in Clearwater was built in 1978.

The building’s milestone inspection from last year, which was just given to the city last Wednesday, said Karins Engineering did not find anything that would compromise the safety of the building for its intended use and occupancy.

The city’s spokesperson said the report was provided to the condo’s Community Association in August and September 2024, but the city didn’t have a record of receiving the required building milestone inspection reports by the Dec. 31, 2024, deadline until last Wednesday.

Courtesy: City of Clearwater.

Additionally, permits for work on the property showed crews were replacing part of the garage floor parking slab.

This past weekend, residents were allowed "a very limited, one-time access to their units" to pick up important belongings.

Clearwater condo residents grabbed belongings Saturday amid concerns over building’s structural integrity.

What they're saying:

In a letter sent on Monday, Karins Engineering said it has "worked closely with the General Contractor, Suncoast Restoration, to install shoring from the ground level in the parking garage up to the underside of the roof slab."

"Based on our observations, it is Karins Engineering’s professional opinion that the shoring has been installed in general conformance with the shoring drawings and field directives from KEG. As a result, the column has been stabilized, and the building is safe to reoccupied," the company said, listing several conditions:

The "04" and "05" balconies are still closed until supplemental shoring is installed in the units.
Unit 605/606 is to have its west end master bedroom locked and the sliding glass door pinned closed to limit access to the portion of the unit with shoring installed.
No construction at any units shall take place without prior written approval by KEG.
If any damage, signs of distress appear or further analysis discovers unsafe conditions, the approval to reoccupy the building can be rescinded at any time.
The fencing around the work area in the garage shall remain in place to limit access to only construction personnel until all repairs are made.
Deliveries of packages to the building shall be limited to 75 pounds until further notice. Case by case exceptions to be coordinated through the property manager for larger packages.

What's next:

While residents are able to return to their homes, it's not yet known how long the outlined restrictions will remain in place.

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The Source: This story was written with information from Karins Engineering and previous FOX 13 News reports.

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