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Reader comments about SFBC
I take exception to Thomas L. Smith's, president of TLSmith
Consulting Inc., Rockton, Ill., comments in "Hurricane Andrew—10 years later," August issue,
page 34. Smith states Hurricane Andrew proved "SFBC's [South
Florida Building Code's] wind-load requirements for building
envelopes were grossly inadequate." Having been involved in the
design and construction of commercial and organizational buildings
throughout Florida from 1956-96, particularly from the Florida Keys
to Palm Beach, my company designed [buildings] according to the
Miami and Dade County codes before the adoption of SFBC. To my
knowledge, we did not lose one building. [Hurricane Andrew's]
disaster was a result of failure in design and construction.
In 1958, we completed a cottage on the Atlantic waterfront of
Plantation Key. When Hurricane Donna hit, the only damage was some
scarred furniture. Clothing in the closets was not even mussed. The
owners were ecstatic. Similar construction in the...
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