Dangerous Column Cracks Force Hundreds to Flee Beach Condos

Jeff Ostroff analyzes how large longitudinal cracks developed in a critical support pillar/column at the 13-story South Beach III Condos, located at 1460 Gulf Boulevard on Sand Key. This caused a massive response from many Clearwater Police, Clearwater Fire & Rescue, and surrounding fire engines and TRT (Technical Rescue Response) teams. The evacuation occurred on May 6, 2025, after construction workers discovered a significant crack in a concrete support column during renovation work in the building’s ground-level parking garage. Approximately 60 residents were evacuated from the 12-story building, as shoring poles were brought in to stabilize the building in an effort to thwart the collapse of the condominium.

Sky drones John Yanchoris video "Structure collapse response 1460 Gulf BLVD Clearwater 5/6/25
": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14siyyus21U

JLR investigates live stream from the Clearwater Condo Evacuation. "CONDO EVACUATION!! Clearwater. IMMINENT COLLAPSE!! Police. ALERT. Florida. LIVE":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36nMY19Nz6Q

This has many parallels to the Champlain Towers South Condo collapse in Miami/Surfside, FL in 2021, in which 98 people lost their lives. This video shows all the parallels, since they were built around the same time, and whether errors made in the design and construction of Champlain Towers could have affected this Clearwater condominium as well. This could have been a major construction fail.
00:00 Introduction to Clearwater Condo Evacuation after a cracked column was discovered
01:08 Drone, livestream video from the Condo evacuation scene
02:34 Clearwater Fire Department response
03:26 Close-up of emergency crews installing shoring poles near the cracked column
04:19 View of the garage where shoring poles were installed
05:46 Parallels to Champlain Tower South Surfside/Miami condo collapse
07:20 The Engineering report had given Clearwater Condo a clean bill of health
08:48 Florida laws changed for condos and milestone inspections
10:07 What concrete spalling looks like, Jeff's old condo
10:49 Details from Karins Engineering Milestone Report for Clearwater Condo
13:32 Analysis of photos of the cracked support column
16:37 How design, construction errors from Champlain Tower South could be here
18:43 Stirrups missing from rebar in the concrete column?
19:08 Possible failure modes of the cracked concrete column