Dead Engineer's Stamp OK'd THIS Collapsed Miami Apartment

Was a dead engineer's stamp and fake signature really used to certify a Miami Apartment building that suffered a partial collapse? Hallandale, FL officials are investigating how an apartment complex partially collapsed, just 3 years after it was allegedly certified by an engineer who was already dead almost 2 years before. Now government officials are trying to determine all the other buildings that had used deceased Professional Engineer Claudio Jofre's signature and stamp to earn fraudulent building structure recertification approval from cities.

[@timothystevenhoward]

as a licensed PE, this gave me chills. the idea someone would use my identity to apply for a permit.

[@jeffostroff]

IF you know you're going to die soon, turn in the stamp or have it destroyed

[@timothystevenhoward]

@@jeffostroff I'm actually curious now what the current statutes are in my state regarding what happens when the licensee is deceased. thank you for bringing this to our attention.

[@enigma591]

I know what you mean. My dad voted Republican his entire life and Democrat after that.

[@brnmcc01]

@@jeffostroff They should have tossed his stamp into the coffin at the funeral... :)

[@mangos2888]

@jeffostroff Even if you just know you're retiring & won't be stamping anything anymore! Apparently, it matters.

[@livewireOrourke]

The fact that he was engineering even after death just shows his dedication and work ethic. We need a round of applesauce to him.

[@jeffostroff]

Good one!

[@JBoo]

🤣🤣🤣

[@johnbuchman4854]

In this case however, he was dead wronged... I wonder if his personal pronoun is "croaked"?

[@joesrvhome]

Wow! TALK ABOUT ABOVE AND BEYOND!

[@philiphorner31]

I betcha I know who he voted for too.

[@mollyleonard1915]

They really ought to investigate when he retired, not just when he passed away, and check for all buildings certified in his name after that time. It might also be a good idea to check Miami-Dade's other PE certifications to make sure this is an isolated case and not part of a bigger issue. Finally, if you look at the earlier property owners names, you will see an H. Hernandez followed by a Y. Hernandez followed by H. and Y. Properties; seems pretty clear they are the same people. Whether those changes in title are significant or not, I don't know, but it seems odd.

[@jeffostroff]

Sometimes they make changes in ownership for tax, liability and insurance reasons

[@dondajulah4168]

It's Hialeah. You dont want to lift that rock up.

[@ericjohnson4330]

Insider selling to inflate value.

[@gaylefynaut562]

Good observation

[@ilovegir]

wouldn't that be big government and regulations. I am Floridu kind of confused?

[@richardross7219]

Good video. I thought of that Monte Python sketch too. I was a PE for 33 years and a town engineer for 10. I had a developer submit a plan with a xerox of a surveyor's stamp attached to his plans. I called the surveyor and held on to the plans. He took care of the developer. While a town engineer, I replaced a bunch of bridges with a 20 year life expectancy. The oldest is now 37 years old and they don't plan to replace it. Your state police should get invovled too because this problem of fraudulent engineering could be state wide. Good Luck, Rick

[@jeffostroff]

Yes, I want to see them do something with this

[@billd66]

The Monty Python sketch, and "He's spending a year dead for tax reasons" from Hitchhiker's Guide To the Galaxy.

[@brandonlee8400]

This should be a much larger investigation, since Dade was notified and turned a blind eye.ALL records should be cross-checked at the very least to make sure the stamps are from LIVING PE! It's outrageous this should even have to be said.

[@jeffostroff]

Remember, they sent out this memo after this apartment was approved

[@alexatkin]

@@jeffostroff It's scary they wouldn't retroactively investigate past approvals though.

[@ilovegir]

wouldn't that be big government and regulations.

[@alexatkin]

@@ilovegir No point needing an engineer to sign it off if they don't check it's a real live engineer.

[@thomasschwab1727]

You have to wonder how many other fake certifications are in the area.

[@shAnn0n1]

A "fake" engineer's stamp being used is ABSOLUTELY HORRIFYING!!! Thx for keeping us updated about these buildings collapsing!!! Josh from Building Integrity is very talented, like you Jeff, at explaining the who, the what, the where, the why, and the how!! Great sleuthing and storytelling!!!

[@jeffostroff]

Thanks for the kind words

[@paleggett1897]

@@jeffostroff well-deserved❣️ 🙏🏽 Thank You 🙏🏼

[@dant4802]

So now the question.. How many other structures have been “posthumously “ Certified? Sorry I see you have addressed this question I commentated before the video ended Great videos Jeff love your channel and also Josh Porter

[@jeffostroff]

Yes, I hope they tell us how many other apartments had this issue

[@zebeart8808]

@@jeffostroff They won't because the corruption goes all the way up.

[@TimeSurfer206]

Redundant or not, this is a question that needs to be shouted, until the "Powers that be" finally see daylight.

[@maximusmagni1]

If these fraudulent documents were mailed, it is a federal offense (mail fraud) and the FBI should get involved.

[@timramich]

The USPS has their own system and agents to deal with that.

[@maximusmagni1]

@@timramich Yes they have agents, but this is outside of their scope. USPS agents investigate theft of mail and attacks on postal workers. They do not investigate building collapses.

[@paulrasmussen8953]

They are to busy covering up the bidens

[@Davemak4944]

Thanks Jeff, love these videos. I was in Miami two weeks ago and drove past the Champlain Towers site, it is surreal to see that in person.

[@jeffostroff]

Yes, just a fenced in open area, very surreal

[@verdantacres4460]

Thank you for the concise information! A task force needs to start investigating every recertification and other major work done in the past 10 plus years.

[@callmeizzy9785]

Yes, that absolutely should happen, but don't hold your breath that it actually will.

[@P_RO_]

It's Florida where most folks think that deep government intrusion like this is evil and unnecessary. Ain't going to happen, but some legislative panel will say they've done something and that nobody has to worry about anything anymore so you should remember to vote for them.

[@ChevyGirl-1984]

Thanks Jeff! More great content! Ever since the condo collapse, I have garnered and sought out info on buildings that have ultimately met their demise by collapse and junk engineering. After I graduated high school, I initially wanted to go into engineering, but my plans got off track by starting a family and getting married. Around 2017 though, I did go into automotive technology and became a Mopar technician, so I do share the interest with how things work and why specifically. I fix things regularly and encounter tons of quick fixes in vehicles, and it scary to see there as well as in these structures meant for dwellings! I believe the public generally thinks they are safe at home of all places. The condo collapse really brought that vulnerability to light. Thanks so much for the continued informative content!

[@rentechpad]

We had something like this happen about 2 decades ago. After the Loma Prieta quake in the San Francisco Bay area that brought down many structures including homes, businesses, parts of the Bay Bridge, several elevated highway sections and some on/off ramps there were massive amounts of retrofitting that went on all up and down ghe west coast. It was learned after that quake that even construction that was only a few years to a decade old, if within a certain distance of an epicenter of a similiar quake had a high risk of collapse and the type of quake was one that could occur on every faulting from Mexico to Alaska. This was a huge boon of business for construction companies as building after building was inspected and there were few that turned out not to need some sort of retrofitting. Most of the type that one considers a 'skyscraper' were of newer construction built to move with ground movement as older ones had already been taken down before a quake brought them down but the majority of our cities buildings were those if 10 floors or less and all needed work. Like any other city we relied on specially certified inspectors to make a call on a building condition and what, if any, work was needed and what retrofitting needed to be done. City inspectors still did the incremental inspections required if the city to certify as work was progressing but private engineers, or firms with specially certified inspectors were those that dud initial inspections and provided the information to the city. Their expertise was such that if they certified a building as not needing work, or if work was needed, what needed to be done and so on. About half way through all the buildings that required retrofitting there was a relatively mild but shallow quake in the area, not great enough to expect more than things to be knocked off shelves or damage hanging electrical but to the city's surprise 2 buildings one of 4 floors and one 9 floors both partially collapsed. Not only should it not have caused such a collapse unless the building was in bad shape to start with and should not have still had a certificate of occupancy but when the building records were checked both had been certified 13 years prior as not even requiring any repairs or retrofitting although both were old enough to have had original construction that would have been considered at risk. Since some older structures did often have preventative work or seismic upgrades to bring them up to newer code its not that rare to find older structures that don't need work even if a code comes in that is retroactive which happens with code for seismic upgrades. When the city dug into paperwork they could find no permits issued for seismic upgrades. Turned out that the firm that certified both buildings had a specifically certified engineer who could make the determination but he had died in 1987. The firm went on using his seal to stamp inspections for another 9 years before going out of business. It was never proven the the engineers that did the inspections knew for sure that their reports were sent in under this other engineers name and stamp but it was obvious that they should have known those were not inspections they could have certified. Both building owners admitted to having a deal with the firm owner, who by then had also passed on which was why the firm went out if business, where they paid an additional fee to get the building certified and avoid any retrofitting costs. On top of that according to the engineer's daughter he had retired in 1970. There stamps get renewed by payment of a fee, every 5 years and apparently someone had done that until that firm went out if business. The daughter said her father retired when he started have very bad problem with his cognition and was in a nursing home from 1975 on. The city ended up having to go through and track down everything filed with the city under his stamp back to 1965. They went back the 5 years before his retirement due to his daughter's report that he only retired after his problems became bad enough he even realized there was a problem and they were afraid that perhaps it had caused mistakes before he retired. Most of those buildings he worked on before he retired had since been demolished but they found enough buildings that they had to be red tagged that had been certified under his stamp that caused a big enough scandal that it was quite a story. The city went round and round on what they could do to make sure something like this did not happen again and that was when they decided expandingbthe building department to have enough engineers to do cerifications and not relie on outside firms was they only way they could guarantee that an engineer that had certified a building had done it in sound mind and while alive.

[@MrRMB1]

Good stuff Jeff! As always, thanks for such clear detail and descriptions for us 'non-engineering' types. Your channel is truly one of trust for sure.

[@evasz814]

Jeff, I love your videos. Thank you for sharing them.

[@lithiumike]

Whomever got hold of that stamp when he either retired or passed is in for a heck of a lot of trouble.

[@jeffostroff]

Yes, I want to know who it is

[@MajorCaliber]

I hope so, BUT... being South Flori-DUH, I'm afraid The Guilty may abscond to Venezuela, with whom we have *NO Extradition Treaty.*

[@carbunkle9902]

Dust it for fingerprints.

[@randombrandon8514]

@@carbunkle9902 He said there was a microfilm request. To me that would imply the original was destroyed after being imaged.

[@jayteadesigns]

Another great, thought-provoking video by Jeff!

[@djahant]

This is a video of all time! I think we need Snidely Whiplash on this dasterderly case asap!! I know you cover a lot of tool sales but this engineering is where my brain is. Then you throw in this humor?!!! So unexpected, so awesome, more please. I am cracking up and I'm only half way in.

[@jeffostroff]

He's not quite dead yet!

[@elainelott9916]

What a story!!! Can't believe people are so shady and despicable !! Hope justice will finally be done!!

[@jeffostroff]

Everything leaves a trail. They will find them

[@johnbergstrom2931]

'shady and despicable'??? It's Florida...

[@matthewtuel2747]

This is a pretty serious crime, and I hope the criminal(s) are brought to justice before anyone gets hurt.

[@booterone1]

Thanks for another great video, Jeff!!!

[@jeffostroff]

Thanks for watching!

[@wranther]

Another good episode in Jeff's "Dead Man Stamping" series, brought to you by a "Lack of Oversight Developers, LLC, PLC"!! It would seem that on a permit system, a stamp as such would also be listed in the document stream. Shouldnt be too challenging to do a simple name search post 2017 for Mr Stamping. The other simple point could be to walk back to 2010 and come forward to observe Mr Stamping's behaviors then. Pretty sure tho Jeff that as local authorities become aware of this Dead Man Stamping series, there could be a bunch of early retirements. Let's keep these facts coming! -Bob...

[@jeffostroff]

I like that series, Dead Man stamping

[@wranther]

@@jeffostroff I will have to leave a reminder next time I see the man behind the camera online!

[@ruperterskin2117]

Right on. Thanks for sharing.

[@peanutbutterisfu]

Maybe 10 years back in my area it came out that bridges were getting signed off that they were in good condition they found out the inspector working for the state wasn’t even going to the physical location of the bridges he just signed off on them. I live in upstate New York where we use salt on the roads in the winter so they get rusty. In the past 5-10 years all the rail road bridges that aren’t used anymore were taken down many were from the early 1900’s with rot holes all over them, the Erie Canal near my shop was rebuilt, many bridges were fixed up. I remember before they found out the guy was signing off on bridges he didn’t look at I would always think when I seen a lot of the bridges that had rot holes and concrete cracked and broken how they haven’t fixed them. If the guy did his job they could have saved tax payers from having to replace bridges if they had a crew doing maintenance, grinding off rust and repainting

[@jeffostroff]

Scary stuff for sure!

[@P_RO_]

The symptom pervades government inspections of all kinds everywhere. I've seen it myself in several different areas and fields of endeavor. It's a joke in most places, purchasable in many, and is often done by people who really aren't qualified to do it but are allowed to anyway because someone influential is backing them. I used to think that "if people really knew" but now I understand that people "don't want to know" because it would expose their own failures in the end.

[@coldwaterjimmy7044]

Jeff, what a weird birthday present for you? Your engineering expertise is unique and is much needed for the good people of Miami. Thank you

[@sheliavestal9292]

I would go back & see what all stamps he supposedly done after his passing. I would also before purchasing anything I would check out info on that building. WOW😲

[@ambermay7032]

I wouldn't be surprised if corrupt engineers were stamping blank approvals ahead of time to be used in future certifications and the only reason this one was spotted was because he died. It could have even been part of the sale...per-approved recertification for when it came up.

[@jeffostroff]

someone somehow knew he was dead and tipped off the permit guys

[@ReasonQuest]

Inspector died in 2017. Certificate was stamped in 2018. No matter how old he was, no matter how late in life he retired, he was pretty dead a year after he died.

[@jeffostroff]

I think he may still be dead

[@seansaca]

WTF SMH ... This is nuts. Cheers Jeff

[@jeffostroff]

Flori-DUH! Home of the hanging chads from the 2000 election remember?

[@jonclassical5710]

Another great story from Jeff! Thanks and have a Wonderful Thanksgiving!

[@suzylarry1]

good detective work ! please follow up on this fraud.

[@jeffostroff]

Thanks John!

[@walterengler5709]

Passed 2/19/17 signed a form on 10/18/18. Now that is a committed employee. As for his supposed age .. I worked for a utility. And we have a 75 year old employee, 50+ years of work with the company, still out there working on installing power poles. He would not retire, simply refused to do so (and he was healthier than most). So working into the 80's is uncommon BUT it does occur. Still, this man was dead for over a year and a half so clear fraud of some type is going on. And no one can claim using the wrong stamp as it's also SIGNED with C Jofre. It would be interesting to check that signature out vs others from say .... oh ... the 1990's lol. And then later in the video you display a letter from where Miami realized they are getting plans (not a plan .. PLANS) with his seal and signature despite his being deceased. So it took Miami (lovely system there lol) 4 YEARS to realize the man was dead. They have been getting plans with his signature over those four years (so now you have to ask HOW MANY FRAUDULENT FORMS have been submitted), and now with this collapse I can tell you what they are doing .. Finally going through all the old records to locate everything every signed by him as they try to cover their own incompetence.

[@jeffostroff]

At leas that one guy that sent the letter to the cities warning them had some sense

[@walterengler5709]

@@jeffostroff Yes but as we can see .. did the cities do anything, ANYTHING, to mitigate the issue or check into the false signatures? So far it appears to be NO. And with the sunshine laws in Florida it will be interesting to see what crap they produce to claim they were doing something.

[@KB4QAA]

@@jeffostroff My uncle was an electrical engineer, PE doing consulting. He was doing work until about two weeks before he died at age 95, just three years ago. Amazing man. Also he was finishing two paper for publication as well!!!

[@gtaelement137]

Hi Jeff thank you so much for the information I can’t believe what is going on with the engineer’s 🏢

[@jeffostroff]

Me neither this is so crazy

[@stevefeeley1857]

Thanks for your work Jeff hope nobody was hurt

[@jeffostroff]

No one hurt, 15 families displaced

[@etjason1]

Jeff go back to the sale dates and look at the engineering dates. Maybe they need it the first time for the sale of the property and once the new owner saw the problems he used the same papers to to show any buyers its safe so he could have time to flip it.

[@thomasmckelvey8961]

WOW! This is huge! Talk about a potential 'Pandora's Box' holy cow!!!

[@mangos2888]

Yep! Wow!

[@rjserra5535]

Hi Jeff, those rusty looking metal rods in the video are rebar. The rough lower edge of the cantilever beams are the result of the water getting into the concrete and causing rust to develop on the rebar. The rust expands the diameter of the rebar and caused the concrete to crack along the horizontal axis of the rebar thus pushing the bottom part of the cantilever beams down and away from the main part of the beams. The rebar must be embedded in the cantilever beams and attached to the concrete to give the lower part of the beams strength in bending (which occurs when a load is placed on top of the beams, such as a walkway). Once the rust disconnects the rebar from the concrete the beam loose a substantial amount of strength and the structure is no longer safe to use.

[@sadjaxx]

Defaming a dead man's good name is just disgusting.

[@karlj8092]

I really appreciate the way you present the information. I will sign up. ABOUT the condo collapse. I tried to write to others, let me know what you think. The area of the initial collapse were directly below the planters at the main level. After years of overwatering, I believe it compromised the rebar, and the pillars. This also explains why it always had water down there, and dripping on cars all the time. I have worked maintenance at apartments where I live, and no one ever does anything about sprinklers or watering. Over years it could make a difference. Thanks, again!

[@janetvakili2946]

The city/county is liable for failure to further investigate how many dead engineer certifications they already had on hand. Failure to alert other cities and counties to this scam. Failure to alert all engineering firms of the scan and failure to share the results of the above actions with city/county attorneys and police. Not to mention, failure to advise property owners of the scam and the need to hire living engineers to avoid fraud charges. Failure to notify the Board of Realtors, failure to provide the public with with a step by step guide on how to determine if your engineer is legit. The police had they been notified could have investigated the stamp companies to find out if any orders had been placed in the last 3-4 years for the dead man's seal. Third world lazy bureaucrats.

[@MajorCaliber]

So this UN-loved often-flipped building at 2350 Palm Ave. used pre-cast "T-planks" at least for the between-floor slab, a solid choice, BUT... the encasing soffit certainly trapped a lot of So-Fla HUMIDITY... being hidden from sight, these concrete surfaces never got protective coats of latex paint... the result being the extreme and total SPALLING seen in these pics. Might be compounded by shoddy "Mafia Mix" concrete used by precast firm. Pity. It's such a hurricane-proof way to build, IF MAINTAINED once in a while.

[@cassiemontgomery45]

I haven't been watching your videos in awhile due to my new state job, but I'm catching up! I never was much of an engineering or contracting whiz, but your videos in regards to the tragedy of the Champlain Towers have educated me and opened my eyes to the importance of sound and honest engineering, inspections, etc.. I appreciate them. The thing that really concerns me is that those condos were owned by affluent people, and if those affluent condos were taken care of in such a shoddy manner, then what are the conditions of low-income housing in that area? Peoples lives are literally at stake!

[@jeffostroff]

that is a great point Cassie! I am preparing some videos on condo damage in poor buildings

[@cassiemontgomery45]

@@jeffostroff My mother lives in the Tampa Bay area (Brandon) and I also wonder if there are problems there too. I know there's a sinkhole problem. A man was killed in 2013 when part of his house collapsed suddenly in a sinkhole. His house was in Seffner, just a few minutes from my mother. Would there be a chance to do a video on the sinkhole problem? I've read that area is problematic for this.

[@wendys7285]

It scares me to death how many other places is this going to happen to?😬😵 thank you so much for all your attention to detail!!

[@surelyyoujokemeinfailure7531]

There will almost certainly be more of this happening in the future. It was a loophole that everyone from organized crime to cost-conscious corner-cutters would take advantage of.

[@wendys7285]

@@surelyyoujokemeinfailure7531 scary!

[@garycallihan4206]

Is there a difference between dying and being scared to death?

[@Chris_In_Texas]

Wow that sounds like a total mess there! I would hope that the counties can pull the PE data up for all the permits and certifications to find out how widespread this would be. 🤦‍♂

[@jeffostroff]

They should be able to

[@derbuckeyetribe9789]

Well, I'm pretty sure I saw Elvis and JFK at my local market last week, so maybe. 😉 I suspect some bureaucratic corruption is at play here. Good video!

[@jeffostroff]

Elvis has left the stadium!

[@designstudio8013]

Also this engineered letter certified structural and electrical which means they would have to be proficient in both aspects and produce that training to the board if asked.

[@tompastian3447]

No telling what kind of corruption you might find in Hialeah. Many years ago I was fighting a zoning change, and made a video for each Hialeah Council member. I got the home address of each commissioner from City Hall, and personally delivered a copy of the video to each commissioner's home. I discovered that two of the commissioners did not live at their address. One was using his parent's address. The other was renting his residence, and the occupants told me the commissioner did not live there.

[@jeffostroff]

Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!

[@johnbergstrom2931]

Unfortunately, I think this 'dastardly' kind of fraud is going to happen frequently, now that they have moved up recertification to every 25 years.

[@jeffostroff]

Yes I think we will see a lot of fly by night contractors who fake these reports

[@BadStructuralEngineeringFirms]

LA County experienced this a few years ago. The drafters were using a PE's seal and signature and placed them on their plans. It turned out the buildings with the fake seals were constructed. The DA charged these drafters with a crime.

[@jeffostroff]

Wow that is scary

[@danamarie2970]

This is crazy!!! got the chills

[@RipperYouTubeOfficial]

Hey Jeff, it's Jack Smith here, the Internet Sleuth that was featured on Tiger King 2 exposing Carole Baskin, IMO. I would really like to talk to you about this stamp you mentioned in the video.

[@freethebirds3578]

Only in Florida? This got into my feed thanks to Davenport, IA.

[@jessecurlgoddess7320]

Wow! How many others buildings were approved using his stamp 😳😳

[@christophercripps7639]

If I was a building owner & had work or recert done since 2017 (or earlier) I'd be pulling my documents to see if the deceased engineer stamped any. If so I'd be getting the evidence (contracts, payment proof) together & talking to an civil tort attorney and a reputable engineering firm. In my state (like many) one can check on the licensure status of many professions - doctors, funeral directors to beauticians. If some one had checked in 2018 on the deceased's PE status what would they have found? Ad you said, just how many other defective or outright fraudulent inspections were stamped?

[@jmdelapp]

A few years ago I witnessed a retired engineer stamping drawings on a project where he had virtually no involvement. The design did not conform to engineering standards or the contract requirements. The worst thing is that I discovered a design defect that puts the city of Santa Fe's water system at risk of failure. I tried to bring this to the attention of the proper authorities but nobody will respond.

[@larrywest42]

I'd consult a lawyer who handles whistleblower cases, even if you're not an insider. If they think you're right, they should take the case on commission, assuming New Mexico has whistleblower incentives, or if federal contracts are involved.

[@jmdelapp]

@@larrywest42 A law firm took the case then months later just ghosted me. I learned a whole lot about whistleblower laws and why they don't work.

[@larrywest42]

@@jmdelapp oh, sorry to hear that.

[@pedrotalavera3541]

I saw some weird selling prices there on the documennt...

[@miguelquintero9747]

Hi. Miami Dade county code enforcement has been a nightmare and I’ve caught them doing all kinds of illegal things. Do you have an email where I can share more info?

[@givingisbetterthantaking..829]

Great job sniffing this crime out, you probably just saved someone's life. God bless you.

[@jeffostroff]

Thanks, I'm glad you liked it!

[@nate6692]

There is also a 2014 cease and desist calling yourself an architect judgment against the fellow.

[@nepenthe_gal759]

Jeff, has the city found out who was using the dead guy's stamp? Will you please keep us updated as to the findings? Thank you🌸🤗

[@jeffostroff]

I searched on at a couple of weeks ago and there was no update

[@pppaaattt8401]

@@jeffostroffabsolutely outrageous and unacceptable. Please keep us updated if you hear anything. Great video!

[@ravenbarsrepairs5594]

If you look at the first picture you show of the concrete beams, the side towards the building seems to have concrete chunks cracked off below the rebar. My guess is the beams had significant cracks along the rebar lengthwise in the beam, potentially due to rust jacking on the rebar, as it seems the crack is in line with the rebar on all beams. Is this another case of epoxy coated rebar deteriorating?

[@andrewbieger5004]

Seems to me that the Govt. Officials TOTALLY dropped the ball on this one. They knew a DEAD Engineer was signing off on stuff over a year and 9 months earlier, yet nobody inspected the buildings in question? Nobody questioned the Owners of the property to see what magic was employed to get a dead man to sign paperwork? Second point is where was the Building Department when the soffit crap was built covering up the obviously damaged cantilevered beams? The damage shown in the pictures did not occur over a short period of time, so how long was it in that condition?

[@jeffhaddox2239]

If the county has known for this long, why no investigation? You can’t just say don’t accept these. You have too find out how many have been accepted, since his death , and reinspect for safety. Also what was this Engineers state of health before his death? At that age was he of good cognitive health, how long was this fraud going on. It had too be either family , or somebody in his office. If the county let this go without an investigation heads should roll.

[@stephenbritton9297]

Man, there is a lot of research the various agencies need to do!

[@benargee]

0:50 was not expecting that 😂

[@Smart-Towel-RG-400]

Really need to start charging these owners and people responsible with wreckless endangerment 1 count for every person who lives in the building

[@GivePeaceAChance12]

I can't believe buildings are recert only every 40 years!!!!

[@Iconoclasher]

I'm surprised someone would have the 🥎🥎 to use some dead guy's stamp! Too easy to get caught. Aren't there people higher up ladder that oversee the paperwork? Wouldn't someone notice some dead guy just signed off? What's the purpose of the stamp if nobody looks at it? This goes higher than some clown using a dead guy's stamp. The stamper could have had his supervisor's permission or a directive.

[@jeffostroff]

Most people don't really look at the stamp or signature, they just assume it's real, no way to tell he is dead.

[@davidimhoff2118]

I didn't even know this happened granted I live in Massachusetts. The obituary seems like a really small obituary but then again I only saw what you showed. I don't understand how someone can acquire a stamp from someone like this. The state has a major problem on their hands especially in the Miami area. People failed across the board to keep the city safe. I would be interested to see who owns the building and if they owned it beforehand the recertification. If they did, how do you know to call an engineer that's dead? Ya don't so they must be in on it. They are lucky this wasn't my place. If I was those individuals in the picture under the sagging roof I wouldn't be standing there.

[@jamesbehrje4279]

Hello Jeff !!! 😬 looking forward to be further educated by your content!!!

[@jeffostroff]

Thanks for watching james

[@jamesbehrje4279]

@@jeffostroff anytime!!!

[@TGP109]

My Grandfather, who built houses and was a stone mason to boot, worked until his late 80's. That generation was tough!

[@JudiJoseph]

So much corruption in Miami smh

[@mattbosley3531]

You say that the new owner may not have known about the damage to the building. That's a ridiculous statement. Any person or group buying a building should hire an engineer or firm to examine that building and give them a report on its condition. Just as any person buying a home should hire someone to thoroughly inspect it before purchasing. You should never rely on the word of the seller.

[@WellsLarry]

NIce work looking at this.

[@jeffostroff]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@msowdal]

"REAL ESTATE" is nothing but a racket. No better than a used car. This must stop!

[@kathryntitus9647]

My guess would be that somebody got ahold of this dead engineer's stamp and was accepting bribes in order to clear construction plans that were never actually properly scrutinized. And because there is a lack of integrity in almost every type of commerce in this nation and elsewhere, there would be commercial entities who would take advantage of such an opportunity.

[@Shay416]

What the actual F is happening in Miami? Peoples homes are literally collapsing and no one is in prison???This is heartbreaking 💔 i hope the people of this city rush to their politicians and demand change and charges.

[@jeffostroff]

I think something leached into the drinking water

[@Dallas_K]

Please keep the cities straight. This is Hialeah, not Miami.

[@djw4325]

Holy cr*p! Forged PE stamp and that rebar bursting out of concrete!

[@johnbergstrom2931]

I know, it's 'dastardly'. Jeff tried to warn you...

[@c.e.anderson558]

That's looks like a fire suppression system in the first pic.

[@77jaycube69]

Wow. No wonder.

[@FranktheDachshund]

Dang, the high dollar condos are crumbling, imagine the low rent areas.

[@stevewolff7187]

I think this building is in the "low rent area"

[@jeffostroff]

Yes, low income, there is a used car dealership bordering this small 15 unit apartment building

[@OofusTwillip]

The company that worked on the Hialeah building might have been AA Masters Mechanical Air Moving and Engineering Corp. Look up FEMC case 2016050175, which took place in 2017. Claudio Jofre (the soon-to-be-dead engineer) was the Designated Responding Officer of AA Masters Mechanical Air Moving and Engineering System Corp., which was caught submitting plans using a fake Engineer's seal bearing only the company's name as the "Licencee", but not the name of any engineer. Florida law prohibits a business from being a project engineer. Among the penalties, Jofre was ordered to take a course in Basic Engineering Professionalism and Ethics, and to destroy the fake seal that was used.

[@jeffostroff]

thanks will do!

[@mangos2888]

I love the new edits worked in!! 🤣🤣🤣

[@jeffostroff]

Glad you like them!

[@ropeyarn]

The elephant in the room is that reinforced concrete construction has to be protected from vertical water entry, keeping in mind that wind driven rain can travel horizontally.

[@jeffostroff]

Exactly DonalD!

[@ronnymb67]

Champlain South. The recently evacuated one. This one. I'd be hard pressed to think of the truth will ever surface because it would tank the real estate market in the entire area.

[@Deeked]

Someone has some serious explaining to do. Holy crap. 😬 I mean what do you guys think? Whoever was using his license is going to be in a lot of trouble.

[@rubyoro0]

This sounds like when your car won’t pass smog…you know where to go. Anyway, if they found out of this after 3 years…what was done about it? Were those approvals later revoked?

[@jeffostroff]

If they knew in April 2021, then anything with his name on it should have been revoked

[@WhittyPics]

Damn Jeff. There is a lot of SHADY stuff going on in your neck of the woods

[@jeffostroff]

That's why we call it Flori-duh

[@dionrau5580]

They covered up the spalling with the soffit, you don't want to know how much of that sort of thing been done all over the City.

[@RichieRouge206]

Huge fan of Monty Python - loved that! But yes some real dirty work underfoot… hope they investigate all inspections retrospectively!

[@jeffostroff]

You and me both!

[@crisprtalk6963]

Damn.

[@jeffostroff]

Pretty scary

[@garfixit]

All you engineers are 👌 awesome

[@firewalker1372]

Seems that that city of Miami and the Engineers office has a job ahead of them. Might want to do some better/more thorough inspections on these old apartment complexes. Especially apartments built around the time this one and surf side was built. Unfortunately we are going to see more and more of these in this area, definitely a pattern.

[@cmichellesummers]

Nice job!

[@jeffostroff]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@Milosz_Ostrow]

I wonder how the fraudsters obtained the engineer's seal. Did they get the information off an older document that Claudio Jofre had sealed and signed, then purchased a replica seal, or did the original seal end up in an estate sale?

[@masunshine2970]

JEFF, what about all those condos that are on the beach and the two last hurricanes 🌀 damaged the sand under the apartment buildings???? They evacuated the buildings during the hurricane and one or two of those were the either same owner and build as Champaign towers. There was another one that shows water going underneath the condos. It wasn't as tall as the Champaign towers. The road and a parking area across the street from the towers was washed out.

[@kstricl]

Poor guy must have been dead tired when he did the inspections.

[@jeffostroff]

Good one!

[@appleimacdude]

There needs to be severe consequences for this! Why isn't a system in place showing when engineers started, their age, etc - there should have been obvious red flags that it would be highly unusual for an engineer to be using his seal for so many years - this is not rocket science.

[@robertp7209]

Nope, submittals will not be accepted without the stamp. Period. Doesn’t matter who, presumably alive at that time. Means shet anyway. How do you think that new pedestrian bridge in Florida fell down killing people a few years ago. You can watch it fall down on Y tube. I think it spanned 6 lanes of traffic.

[@jeffostroff]

Yes, the FIU bridge was supposedly peer reviewed by an engineering firm who was not qualified to be a peer reviewer because they had no PEs.

[@robertp7209]

@@jeffostroff Jeff, did you read the analysis? it’s on OSHA site. Good read lots of photos. Ridiculous cracking could stick rulers into cracks. The peer review would not have mattered who did it, PE or not, it was done correctly, however, the bridge was built and moved into position, the design was inadequate to handle that move as it was partially supported, the design engineer only designed the bridge for it final position, and that was peer reviewed only. So the build and moving it into place partially supported had no design criteria or even performed, to peer review. There was no way it could have survived the move. There was plenty of time with the massive cracking going on, to stop the cars and protect the public and workers from harm to figure out WTF was causing the cracking. Instead they just ignored it and pushed on through. The state inspector did shet, the company owner an engineer herself went out to inspect it with lead engineer, did nothing, with respect to her lead engineer. People die. Totally removed from reality - never gave a shet about safety of humans driving under it nor workers on the job, who cares about the zillions of bucks lost. The engineer even issued a directive to add more tension on those rods, yet he had no idea what was going on to begin with, they were in the progress of doing it when it collapsed, in reality, that wasn’t a fix at all probably made it worse. This guy had tons of experience their top dog.

[@Trance88]

Jeezus. With all these issues going on in the Mami area, I think there needs to be a "state of emergency" called.

[@WhittyPics]

I bet there are buildings like this all over the country

[@WhittyPics]

PE for hire.

[@HepCatJack]

When politicians speak of removing "red tape" it's those regulations that keep people safe whether it is in construction or in the railroad industries. Many of these regulations came in the past as a result of people getting injured or dying. They are often presented as something to hinder businesses for no reasons and it is not the case.