WEST PALM BEACH, FLA (June 25, 2021) –West Palm Beach Mayor Keith A. James offers his condolences to the families of the victims of the Town of Surfside building collapse, as well as to the first responders on the scene.

“On behalf of the City of West Palm Beach, I want to offer condolences to the families of the victims of the condo collapse in the Town of Surfside,” said Mayor James. “That is a very sad, dire situation. To the families, the first responders, and the Town of Surfside, you are in our prayers and thoughts. I am sure this is a tough situation for all.”

Mayor James announced today he intends to direct staff to evaluate the viability of a 40 Year Building Safety Inspection Program for the City of West Palm Beach for future consideration.

All buildings in the City of West Palm Beach are currently required to undergo inspections to obtain a certificate of occupancy. Such inspections are conducted by the Building Official in the city’s Department of Development Services.

In addition to those inspections, all buildings greater than three stories are classified as threshold buildings and required to have an independent special inspector on site during all structural work. The special inspector performs inspections in line with the structural inspection plan prepared by the structural engineer who designed the building, maintains inspection logs, and issues a certificate of compliance letter before the building can be occupied. 

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