Fort Lauderdale Learns That Construction Defects Can Happen to Anyone

When we think of construction projects that go wrong, or botched construction jobs, we perhaps think of smaller projects. Surely, a multi million government construction project wouldn’t go too far astray, with all the money at stake, and all the oversight that is involved in government construction contracts.

Well, think again: things can and do go wrong in governmental construction projects. Just as the city of Fort Lauderdale.

Botched Police Headquarters

The problem relates to a new police headquarters that was recently constructed, located in Fort Lauderdale. The new building was intended to replace an older, dilapidated police headquarters.

From the outside the building was gorgeous—well worth the millions of dollars the city paid for it. But on closer look, and after some time, city and police officials noticed serious problems, specifically, hairline cracks in the structure of the building, and a roof bending in, which was in turn causing the surrounding concrete to start to crack as well.

What Went Wrong?

There was an obvious problem with the building, and you may think it’s a very complex problem. But the problem illustrates how even small changes or alterations on construction problems can cause major structural—and subsequently, legal-problems in construction projects.

The problem came with a decision made early on in the project, to change the interior structure of a part of the building from steel, to concrete. Concrete is heavier than steel, but engineers did not account for this change in weight. The rest of the building was constructed exactly as per the plans—plans that were designed for steel inside of the building, and thus, unable to support the much heavier concrete structure.

Engineers then strengthen the building’s columns, to support the unanticipated, added weight. But that meant extra support for those columns underneath the building, which apparently, was not done.

How Long for Repairs?

Engineers have admitted the mistake, and even offered to monitor, and fix, any problems in the building for the next 5 years. But city officials aren’t satisfied with that, noting that the building needs to last way longer than 5 years. In fact, the city has a 30 year bond on the building, and if the builder does not pay for (what could be very expensive) repairs beyond the 5 years, taxpayers will have to foot the bill.

Another concern is whether these problems may also cause leaks in the property. That can lead to mold, and eventually, unsafe conditions. There is also the risk of absolute and total structural failure, something that is always a concern when cracks in the foundation of any property start to emerge.

Right now, there does not appear to be any litigation surrounding the project, but that may change if the builder doesn’t extend its 5 year promise to fix and repair the property.

Do you have a construction defect on any property you recently had built for you? Call our Fort Lauderdale business litigation lawyers at Sweeney Law P.A. at 954-440-3993 for help.

Sources:

local10.com/news/local/2025/02/18/fort-lauderdale-police-headquarters-undergoes-structural-fixes-after-design-flaws-discovered/

sun-sentinel.com/2025/02/19/fort-lauderdale-questions-experts-on-design-flaw-in-new-police-station/