The milestone inspection report is not the end of the process — it is the beginning of it. What happens next depends almost entirely on what Phase 1 found. Most boards receive the report, read the executive summary, and wait to hear from the engineer. That is the right instinct in the first week. After that, the clock is running and the association has decisions to make.
If Phase 1 found no substantial structural deterioration
A clean Phase 1 report is not the end of the building's compliance obligations — it is the entry point into the recurring inspection cycle. The association's engineer submits the Phase 1 report to the local enforcement agency (in most of South Florida, the county or municipal building department). The building's next milestone inspection is then due ten years from the date of the initial inspection. Boards that treat a clean Phase 1 as a permanent clearance tend to get caught off guard a decade later. Set a calendar anchor for the next cycle now, commission the Structural Integrity Reserve Study (SIRS) if it has not been completed, and review the building's reserve schedule against the SIRS findings. The maintenance and waterproofing program you run in the next ten years is what determines whether the next Phase 1 comes back clean.
If Phase 1 triggered Phase 2
Phase 2 is triggered when the inspecting engineer identifies substantial structural deterioration in the building's primary load-bearing or life-safety systems. Once triggered, the engineer has 180 days to complete Phase 2 — a deeper investigation that may include selective demolition, nondestructive testing, chloride sampling, and instrumented monitoring of affected elements. During that 180-day window, the board should not wait. Engage a qualified structural restoration contractor for a pre-scope walk while Phase 2 is in progress. An experienced contractor who walks the building with the Phase 2 engineer can help the board understand the likely scope before the final report arrives — and avoids the situation where the Phase 2 report is delivered and the board is starting contractor conversations from zero.
Reading the Phase 2 report
The Phase 2 report tells the board three things: what structural elements are deficient, where they are in the building, and what the engineer recommends to remediate them. It does not tell the board which contractor to use or what the work will cost — that determination comes from the contractor's priced scope proposal, submitted against the engineer's written repair specification. The engineer of record remains the specifying authority throughout the repair phase and will issue the repair specification, review contractor submittals, and stamp field directives as the work proceeds. The contractor executes under that stamp. The board's job at this stage is to select a qualified contractor, confirm funding, and move the project into permitting.
The 365-day repair commencement clock
Florida statute requires the association to commence repairs within 365 days of the Phase 2 report. Commence means begin permitted repair work under the engineer's direction — not finalize contractor selection, not obtain a building permit, not notify residents. The clock starts the day the Phase 2 report is delivered. Boards that spend the first 90 days deliberating on contractor choice, the next 60 days negotiating contract terms, and another 60 days in permitting have 215 days left to start work. It is achievable, but it leaves no room for anything to go sideways. The earlier the board engages a contractor, the more scheduling options and funding flexibility remain open.
What to look for in a restoration contractor
- Self-performs the structural trades — concrete, rebar, post-tensioning, waterproofing — rather than subcontracting them to crews with different safety programs and accountability structures
- Has direct experience with the specific structural system your building uses (post-tensioned slabs, conventionally reinforced concrete, precast, masonry) and can read the Phase 2 report fluently
- Proposes a hybrid contract format: lump sum for the defined scope, agreed unit prices for concrete quantities discovered during demolition — this structure eliminates the single largest source of change-order disputes on restoration projects
- Has a proven process for working under the engineer of record's stamp: submittal protocols, field directive response times, progress documentation
- Can sequence work floor-by-floor or stack-by-stack in an occupied building, with resident communication and dust containment as standard practice, not an afterthought