CLEARWATER, Fla. — A private contractor and engineer are now taking over the investigation into the status of the ‘South Beach III’ condo on Sand Key.
All 60 residents were evacuated yesterday after a crack was found in a support column. The Clearwater Fire and Rescue Division Chief said Wednesday morning that the crack was at least two feet deep.
The building remains roped off.
Emergency officials evacuated residents at South Beach III Condos on Gulf Boulevard as crews investigate the structural integrity of the building.
Officials said there has been no structure collapse, but there were concerns about cracks found in a main support column underneath the building.
For many, Tuesday's developments brought back memories of the Surfside collapse in 2021, when 98 people were killed when a condo collapses in Miami-Dade County.
With Surfside in mind, Clearwater Fire Rescue said the Tuesday and Wednesday response was elevated.
"It takes a lot of people, and we have a lot of expertise, a lot of training," Clearwater Fire and Rescue Division Chief Javon Graham. "Our county tech team, our city tech team does train for structural collapse,so we're prepared for that sort of thing."
Rescue officials said construction workers noticed the growing beam crack in the 12-story, 161-unit condo.
Sixty residents were evacuated as a precaution. It hasn't been announced when they will be allowed to return.
Clearwater Fire Rescue says the support beam crack is growing in a 12 story condo on Sand Key. The entire building was immediately evacuated. There’s a 161 units, 40% occupied at the time. The 60 residents will be evacuated overnight or longer. @BN9 pic.twitter.com/gei5u4bN5W
— Josh Rojas (@JoshRojasBN9) May 6, 2025
Resident David Zusman says he saw some police when he left to take his son to swim practice, and when he came back, the street was filled with emergency vehicles.
Zusman says he saw the crack in the pillar before he left, but he wasn't worried about it.
He said it's one out of many columns in that area.
Zusman also says it hasn't been unusual to see renovations happening at the building.
"In the last three years, they did a lot of work," he said. "So, it's a well-managed building. They redid balconies. They redid a lot of stuff in the last three years. So, it's a big shocker to me to come back to this."
While Zusman says it's somewhat of an inconvenience, he's glad everyone was able to evacuate safely.
The scene was turned over to a private contractor and engineer who will work to stabilize the building.
This is a developing news story. Stay with Spectrum Bay News 9 on-air, online, and with our app.
