Shared by Deborah Goonan, Independent American Communities
During the last real estate boom, it was difficult to find skilled construction workers, and even harder for city inspectors to do a thorough job. The result, not only in Florida, but also in other states – a lot of shoddy construction that slipped through the cracks. Condo owners were hardest hit, although problems plague owners of single family homes, too.
Here’s another report from St. Petersburg, FL.
Another downtown St. Petersburg condo project is plagued by construction flaws
Susan Taylor Martin, Tampa Bay Times
Oct 30, 2015
ST. PETERSBURG — Finished in 2006, it is so plagued with construction flaws that water seeped through the walls and damaged units. Residents sued the developer and are enduring months of repairs and inconvenience.
No, it’s not Signature Place, the 36-story tower whose problems have been well-publicized, but another downtown St. Petersburg condo project, Arlington Lofts.
Like those in Signature Place, Arlington unit owners are wondering whether city inspections were adequate then and are now, especially with hundreds of new condos and apartments under construction downtown.
“I’m upset with the builder, but it’s the inspectors we trust to approve this stuff,” says John Trunzo, who paid $300,000 for his Arlington Lofts condo when the project was completed in 2006.
City officials say they, too, want to make sure inspections are done right. They are beefing up their inspection staff and pulling the original reports on Arlington Lofts to review them.
“I can’t tell you exactly what happened there,” said David Goodwin, St. Petersburg’s director of planning and economic development. “We’ll find out who was doing (the inspection) and if there were some problems with the inspection.”
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