How one Jacksonville Beach high rise built 45 years ago is renovating to stay safe

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – While the specific cause of a deadly high-rise condo building collapse in the Miami area is still unknown, a local condominium board leader says the tragedy underscores the vital need for structural maintenance of coastal buildings.

Scott Kelly heads the board of Ocean 14 Condominiums, a 17-story, 45-year-old building in Jacksonville Beach.

When news of the deadly collapse of the Champlain Towers south building reached Scott Kelly, Director of Ocean 14 Condo Board, he said his mind went straight to his building and the similarities between the two seaside high-rises.

“My heart stopped. I mean, because again, we’re the same era, I mean, that building was built 1981. The building is of the same material construction that ours is. We’re ’76, so we’re five years older. We face the same environment,” Kelly said.

It’s an environment that’s punishing to buildings, exposed to the wind, saltwater and other elements not seen further inland. It’s why the building is now in the midst of a massive, years-long refurbishment project

The repairs on the building actually started in 2018, stripping away some of the concrete and replacing the rebar reinforcement. Workers are still stripping away the old material on the north end of the tower.

“What we do is we chip in, we’d have to take out the defective concrete have to take out the defective rebar, replace that rebar repour the concrete,” Kelly said.

Contractors told News4Jax the new concrete is a material that sets about 10-times harder than what was poured in the 1970s.

All the while, Kelly said, the project is being constantly inspected for safety.

“We have a building engineer, a certified engineer who inspects each and every cut,” Kelly said. “Before we pour any concrete, we place the rebar to make sure it’s been done to code, make sure it’s been done correctly.”

Kelly said the project is scheduled to be completed by August, weather permitting.