Engineering Journal
Practical notes from the field on milestone inspections, reserve studies and county recertification — written for condominium boards, managers and owners across Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach.
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The statewide structural inspection for condominium and cooperative buildings three habitable stories or taller.
The Structural Integrity Reserve Study that projects structural repair and replacement costs for reserve funding.
The Broward and Miami-Dade programs that recertify the structural and electrical condition of existing buildings.
Investigations and surveys that establish the cause, extent, and condition of observed distress.
Published Notes
Direct observations and clear guidance, organized newest first.
October 17, 2026 · 14 MIN
Miami-Dade began recertifying older buildings after a 1974 collapse; Broward followed in 2006; the state added milestone inspections in 2022 and rewrote the trigger in 2023. Which layers apply to your building is why two boards a few miles apart can be on different clocks.
Read the note →October 5, 2026 · 7 MIN
Two rules in adjacent sections of Florida Statutes use similar height triggers for very different purposes. Here is how milestone inspections and threshold building special inspections actually work.
Read the note →October 4, 2026 · 15 MIN
Florida law requires the developer to deliver a turnover inspection report when owners take control of a condominium association. What it covers, what it does not, which legal dates a new board should know, and where an independent engineering assessment fits.
Read the note →September 28, 2026 · 11 MIN
Balconies and railings are among a South Florida building's most exposed parts, and both are inspected under the milestone inspection and county recertification. The warning signs a board can catch early, what the code requires of a railing, and where the rules actually live.
Read the note →September 21, 2026 · 12 MIN
Spalling is the visible end of a corrosion process that starts out of sight. What it means, what it does not mean under Florida's milestone statute, and what a board should do when it appears.
Read the note →August 30, 2026 · 10 MIN
A practical guide for condo and HOA boards: questions to ask about scope, existing-building experience, deliverables, independence, and next steps before hiring an engineer.
Read the note →August 28, 2026 · 10 MIN
SB 4-D created Florida's Milestone Inspection and SIRS requirements in 2022 and has been amended twice since. A board working from the original 2022 text alone is operating on rules that, in places, no longer apply. Here's the current picture, the deadline that has already passed, and the misconceptions boards hit most.
Read the note →August 24, 2026 · 12 MIN
A Milestone Inspection evaluates a building’s structural condition now. A SIRS helps the association plan and fund major building components over time. Here is what Florida condominium boards need to know.
Read the note →August 22, 2026 · 16 MIN
HB 913 took effect July 1, 2025. It moved the initial SIRS deadline to December 31, 2025, adjusted milestone inspection timing, changed reserve funding rules, and added conflict-of-interest disclosures. Here is what boards need to act on now.
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