
Donna DiMaggio Berger, an attorney for the Champlain Towers condo association, said the board had not been privy to any information that would have foreshadowed Thursday's disaster.
The building was undergoing a 40-year recertification process, Berger said, adding that the board only knew what the engineer's certification report included in terms of repair work.
"Typical things that an engineer looks for in a certification report in Miami-Dade and Broward County, which are the two counties that require this kind of certification, is a review of the roof, the HVAC system, electrical, plumbing, and the building envelope," Berger said.
"But certainly, there was nothing hazardous that was outlined in that report, anything that would have proven to be a danger to life."
Berger added that the board had been aware of research done in the '90s showing the area where the building collapsed had signs of land subsidence -- but said "we want to dig into" whether the researchers informed city and state authorities of their findings.
Berger reiterated the building was a safe place to live, as far as she and the board members knew, and some of them called Champlain Towers home.