The former Surfside, Florida building inspector who reassured Champlain Towers South residents that their condo complex was structurally sound despite an independent engineer’s report of multiple serious issues was previously employed in Miami Shores, Florida, where he was responsible for inspecting the demolition project of a local dog track that collapsed, killing two workers.
The New York Times reports that Ross Prieto, the building inspector for Surfside who makes a $110,000 annual salary, told condo residents in 2018 that the complex was “in very good shape” despite an independent report that listed significant damage to concrete and steel reinforcing bars. Prieto was sent the report by the consulting engineer, and made a visit to the condo complex that November to reassure residents.
About a year later, when residents wrote to him expressing concern that the blasting from a nearby construction project was shaking their condos, Prieto responded that “there is nothing for me to check.” He advised, “The best course of action is to have someone monitor the fence, pool and adjacent areas for damage or hire a consultant to monitor these areas as they are the closest to the construction.”
In 1997, Prieto was the assistant director of building and zoning for Miami Shores, responsible for ensuring the safety of the demolition project to take down the Biscayne Kennel Club, a dog track outside Miami. During the demolition, a significant portion of the grandstand and club area collapsed, killing two brothers whose company was hired to remove debris. A third man, the brother of the two dead men, was trapped under the rubble but later rescued.
In the ensuing investigation, if was discovered that a subcontractor hired to undertake the demolition by the company awarded the contract was unlicensed, uninsured and unregistered.
Prieto later told a local newspaper that his only role in the demolition project was to make sure it was proceeding on schedule, “not that workers were using proper procedures,” the Miami Herald paraphrased him saying.
“Everything was going according to plan,” the Associated Press quoted Prieto saying. “From what I hear, this is just a construction accident. Accidents can happen,” he said.
The city of Surfside is now advising all management companies, owners and resident boards of buildings that are three stories or higher and more than 30 years old to hire consulting engineers to review their structures. They’re also recommending the buildings undertake a geological survey to review the soil and foundations of the buildings.
Prieto left Surfside in October and started working at C.A.P. Government Inc., a company that provides building inspection services to municipalities, billing him out at $110 per hour. He was serving in an interim capacity as building inspector for Doral, Florida while they undertake a search for a full-time inspector.