Investigators say tenant garage below collapsed Florida condo tower had many faulty support columns

By TERRY SPENCER
Associated Press

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Federal investigators determining why a Florida condominium tower partially collapsed three years ago have determined there were many faulty support columns in the tenant garage that ran below it and the adjoining pool deck. National Institute of Standards and Technology investigators told an advisory panel on Thursday that tests show that some of the steel-reinforced concrete columns at the 12-story Champlain Towers South were half the strength they should have been. The steel in some had become moderately to extremely corroded, weakening them further. The June 2021 collapse in the Miami suburb of Surfside killed 98 people. The investigation is expected to last another year.