Bourgeois Construction: The Florida Building Collapse

On June 24, a section of the Champlain Towers South condominium building in Surfsong, Florida collapsed abruptly.

16 people are confirmed dead and over 140 are still missing. Among the unaccounted for are workers, vacationing families, international tourists, and retirees.

In typical bourgeois fashion, the safety of many comes second to the profits of the few. With over 130 units stretching over 12 stories, the structural integrity of the building was already questionable, since the original blueprints did not account for a penthouse. And yet, profits drive the capitalist towards depravity, and thus town ordinances were circumvented to accommodate such a frivolous addition.

The selfishness of the building owners is almost certainly one of the contributing factors in the building’s failure.

The building stood on a piece of reclaimed wetland which, according to a study in the 1990s, was sinking much more quickly than the greater Miami area surrounding it. It is possible that part of the structure was sinking faster than the rest, leading to the partial collapse on June 24. This process of land reclamation cannot be sustainable in areas like South Florida. And yet new buildings are constructed everyday, in Florida and across the world, on lands susceptible to subsidence, all in the name of capitalist profits.

The problems at this particular building were not new. In 2001, the Champlain Towers South Condo Association was found liable for negligence for lack of repair to exterior walls due to water seepage. While damages were paid, the underlying structural issues were not properly addressed. In more recent years, some areas within the parking garage and pool equipment room flooded so frequently that the water pumps wore out.

In 2018, a structural engineering firm conducted a 40‑year inspection of the building (Florida law only requires building inspections every 40 years!). The engineers found that the steel rebar reinforcing the concrete structure had rusted and expanded. The corrosion was likely due to saltwater spray from the nearby beach. When the steel rebar rusts, it expands, displacing the concrete around it. Flakes of concrete break off, compromising the structural integrity of the building. It is surprising that galvanized or epoxy-coated rebar was not used, given the conditions in the area, but these more expensive building materials eat into developers’ profits!

The initial estimate to repair the building was $9.1 millon, however just three months ago the proposed cost (after incurring more damage, or neglect, in this span) had increased to $15 million. Had the repairs been completed promptly, had the bourgeois and petty-bourgeois property owners thought about anything other than capital accumulation, the residents would not be buried under tons of rubble, now beyond help.

Despite this devastation, it is the bourgeoisie who stand to gain. New economic ventures present themselves with each disaster. This tragedy, and countless others, enrich the bourgeoisie as whole – the banks, contractors, insurance companies, law firms, etc. – through new loans, new construction, and new legal proceedings.

If buildings are not stable under capitalism, what can we say of the structure of capitalism as a whole? This is not the fault of the working class: it is that of the bourgeoisie and the parsimonious nature of business, conducted at our expense! Once the means of production rest at the fingertips of the whole society, labor and resources will be dedicated to building and maintaining safe and livable housing for all.