Where the requirement lives.
The requirement is in Section 553.899, Florida Statutes, and it has been amended more than once since 2022. Your building official and association counsel are the right sources for what it requires of your association and when. What follows is the engineering: what the inspection looks at and what it produces.
A milestone inspection is not a general once-over of the property. It looks at the structure: the load-bearing walls, the primary structural members and systems, and the conditions around them.
Phase 1: an engineer looks, carefully.
Phase 1 is a visual examination by a licensed engineer or architect. No drilling, no demolition. The inspector examines the structural systems and documents what is observed. If Phase 1 observes no sign of substantial structural deterioration, the report says so.
Phase 2: only if Phase 1 finds a reason.
If Phase 1 does find substantial structural deterioration, Phase 2 follows: testing and analysis scoped to what was found. That might mean probing a corroded area of concrete, testing a sample, or opening a small section to see what a stain is hiding. A well-run Phase 2 is targeted. It answers the specific questions Phase 1 raised and stops there.
Structural deterioration versus maintenance items.
In engineering terms, the concern is deterioration that affects how the building carries load. Rusting reinforcing steel that is breaking concrete apart. A beam or column that has lost section. A connection that is no longer doing its job. Peeling paint, hairline stucco cracks, and a stained ceiling tile are a different category. They may be maintenance items worth fixing, but they are not structural deterioration. A good report separates the two clearly, because a board that cannot tell the difference either overspends on cosmetics or underspends on structure.
What happens after the report.
We deliver the sealed report to the association and submit it to the building official. If no substantial structural deterioration was found, the report documents that, and the board plans normal maintenance. If repairs are needed, the report becomes the starting point for repair documents, bidding, and construction. Either way, the report documents the building's condition on a date, signed by a licensed professional, and it will be read by insurers, lenders, and buyers.
How it connects to your SIRS and your budget.
The milestone inspection and the Structural Integrity Reserve Study look at overlapping parts of the same building, and their findings should agree. What the milestone inspection observes about the structure feeds the remaining-life and cost numbers in the reserve study, and the reserve study is how the association plans to pay for what the inspection finds. Many associations schedule the two together so the board pays for one mobilization and gets one consistent picture instead of two reports that argue with each other.
What to ask any engineer you hire.
Ask these before you sign, whoever you hire:
- Who signs the report, and what are their license numbers?
- How many buildings like ours have you inspected on this coast?
- If Phase 2 is warranted, how do you scope it, and how is it priced?
- Will you present the findings at a board meeting, in language the board can follow, and take questions?
- If repairs are needed, can your firm carry them through design, bidding, and construction, and what would that cost?
The answers tell you what you are actually hiring.
How we run a milestone inspection.
Our milestone inspections are led by a licensed professional engineer, PE 63628, who also holds Florida Special Inspector status and Florida Board Recognized Structural Engineer standing. The same person who signs the report is the person who stands in front of your board.
- Scoping. We take the building's age, address, and any notice the association has received, and confirm the inspection year with the building official in writing as part of the engagement.
- Document review. Original drawings, prior reports, and repair history, so the inspection starts from what the building has already been through.
- Phase 1 field work. A visual examination of the structural systems, documented with photographs and locations rather than adjectives.
- Sealed report. Findings separated into substantial structural deterioration and maintenance items, written so a board can act on it, and delivered to the association and the building official.
- Phase 2, only where Phase 1 earned it. Testing and analysis scoped to the specific questions raised, priced separately, and stopped when those questions are answered.
- Board presentation. We present the findings and take questions, including the ones about money.
If repairs are required, the same firm carries the work into repair design, bidding, and Contract Administration with Construction Observations during construction, so the engineer who found the condition is the one watching it get fixed.
Common questions.
What is a milestone inspection?
A milestone inspection is a structural inspection of a condominium or cooperative building under Section 553.899, Florida Statutes. Phase 1 is a visual examination by a licensed engineer or architect. If substantial structural deterioration is found, Phase 2 testing and analysis follows.
Who performs your milestone inspections?
At O'Connell & Associates, milestone inspections are led by a licensed professional engineer who also holds Florida Special Inspector status.
What happens if deficiencies are found?
The engineer documents them, separates substantial structural deterioration from maintenance items, and recommends the repair work and its sequence. We deliver the report to the association and submit it to the building official.
How much does a milestone inspection cost in Florida?
It is quoted per building rather than at a page rate, because the work scales with the building's height, its structural system, how the exterior is reached, and how much of it is occupied. Phase 2, if it is warranted at all, is scoped and priced separately against what Phase 1 actually found. Send us the address, age, stories, and unit count and you will get a scoped fee.
How long does a milestone inspection take?
The field work on a typical Gulf Coast condominium building is measured in days rather than weeks, and the sealed report follows. Scheduling, not field time, is usually what sets the date, so a board that asks early has more control over the calendar than one that asks late.
