Florida Condo Collapse: Architect Suspended Over Toppling of Other Structures in Miami

The Florida condo collapse happened last month, and the architect who designed the building was suspended years earlier over other structural failures.

William Friedman designed the Champlain Towers South before it was built in 1981. He was suspended in 1967 for six months after sign pylons at two buildings collapsed following a hurricane in 1965, New York Post reported.

The first incident happened a week after the hurricane struck south Florida. A sign pylon attached to a building in downtown Miami collapsed and fell down the side. Another single-story structure in a different part of the city also had a similar pylon structural failure.

The collapse had been serious enough that it led to one Miami architect informing the Florida State Board of Architecture about it. William Friedman was then suspended for "gross incompetency."

The grounds were that Friedman "negligently, improperly, and carelessly" designed the 20-foot tall pylons. The Florida Board of Architecture wrote in its 1966 suspension order that the pylons were insufficient and grossly inadequate.

The five-member board added that those were not in accordance with the building code for the location or accepted standards of architectural practice, Daily Mail reported. William Friedman died in 2018 at 88.

The documents about William Friedman's suspension have only recently come to light following public records requests by The Real Deal.

Suspension of Practice

Fort Lauderdale architect Kaizer Talib noted that the suspension was serious since it was decided by a committee and just by an individual.

Talib told The Real Deal that some people know about the suspension but was not disclosed to the general public. He said that an architect would not announce it but will tell it to his wife.

So far, there was no direct evidence that suggests that William Friedman's design had anything to do with the collapse. However, the background could provide some glimpse for investigators probing the cause of the Florida condo collapse that killed 97 people.

A 2018 engineering report on the 12-story condo showed at least one major error in the original project plan prepared by Friedman and the project engineer. The report noted that a concrete slab in one area of the building had not been sloped to allow water to drain.

William Friedman also designed a shopping center, a hospital, and several townhouses.

Firefighters had declared the end of their search for bodies at the site of the Florida condo collapse last Friday, July 23, after removing for a month the layers of debris that were once piled several stories high.

The Florida Condo Collapse

According to a judge, victims and families who had suffered losses in the Florida condo collapse will initially get a minimum of $150 million in compensation.

The sum would be around $50 million in insurance on the Champlain Towers South Building. In addition, at least $100 million in proceeds from the property sale, Fox 4 News reported.

The judge said the court will always mind the victims, citing their rights and how they will be protected. Victims were identified through DNA analysis. Relatives and friends of three missing people said they are still awaiting word on loved ones that have been in the building.

According to attorney Michael Goldberg, the debris, which is considered key evidence, is being stored in a Miami-area warehouse.

Goldberg noted that all of it would be preserved as possible evidence for the lawsuits and for other experts to have a look at. He also said that it might also take years before their report goes public.

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Fire Department Ends Search for Remains at Collapsed Florida Condo - From Reuters