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The collapse of the school gymnasium end wall at Mexico Beach is very concerning to me for the reason that many counties look to utilize gymnasiums as hurricane evacuation shelters because they can accommodate a large number of people and can reduce their ...

I have been a structural and forensic engineer in Florida since 1999 (my whole career). When the 2001 Florida Building Code was released, many engineers scratched their heads at the Chapter 16 Wind Maps, specifically the windborne debris region exceptions ...

A few times in my 25+ years of practice, I'd been asked by some owners to "design for Category 5 hurricane". My answers were something like "I don't know what that means. I will design to meet the code." Sometimes, I'll offer to design for Category III/IV ...

I think the word "conspiracy" is unnecessary. It's fair criticism to suggest outside influences, cognitive biases, economics, cost vs benefits, and the like influence these regulatory decisions. We see it everyday with gerrymandering in politics, value ...

​I agree with Dr. Sputo, who was my steel professor when I was studying at UF, some of the photos I have seen show some of the newer buildings still standing. These were likely designed with the newer codes such us the Coastal Construction Manual FEMA ...