Criminally Negligent Hurricane Window Installations Allowed by Local Building Authority in SW Florida
There are widespread non-code compliant hurricane window installations occurring in SW Florida. The windows are being weakly secured below what is legally required by hurricane window engineers, the NOA’s (Notice of Acceptance) and FL Building code. There are several reasons this is happening. By email, I have complained to Johnathan Walsh, the head of building in Collier County, Daniel Belisle of Lee County and John McConnell of the City of Cape Coral. Belisle did not get back with me and Walsh feigned too much ignorance for one so high up in a building department. This fraud is widespread; it is the result of an utter abdication of responsibility by building officials, contractor greed and the profound ignorance of homeowners. The local authorities are allowing this to happen; the local authorities are turning a blind eye to and ignoring the illegal installation of impact windows.
The impact window is a structural entity that once installed, does not legally require boarding up during a hurricane. This window can stop large projectiles moving at high speeds. As one might guess this impact window’s ability to perform is no better than the methods that are used to install, secure and seal it in as a part of your homes protective exterior.
This government-sponsored fraud is specific to the impact flange window frame style when the new window is installed as a replacement for an existing window in a stucco finished home. Check Craigslist and respond to one of the many window-install positions offered. Ask probing questions and you will find that they are all installing the quickie flange impact window replacements. The fraud and malfeasance are widespread across Florida. The blind and unquestioning masses will risk the loss of life because of their misguided faith in a corrupt government agency.
How does a building inspector turn a blind eye to an illegal impact window installation, one might ask? This is how it happens. With almost all construction work the inspector gets a time for an inspection to see completed work and is simply never present to see the actual process itself. For completed window installs an inspector will claim that he cannot observe whether the window has been shimmed or sealed or what the gap is between the frame and the bucking, so the inspector simply asks the contractor if he did a good job. The contractor, knowing that his window will not be inspected further, smiles and says, of course. That is basically the excuse used by an inspector and almost verbatim John Walsh’s excuse. The simple unabashed truth is that if the space between the window frame and the wall opening cannot be observed from either the interior or the exterior then there is no way the installer could have shimmed or applied sealant. Additionally, keep in mind that the window is a flanged window being pushed into a stucco opening where the original flanged window was installed before the stucco was applied. The new window has been downsized to allow the flange of the new window to fit, resulting in a gap between the window frame and wall opening of around 1/2” to 5/8”. Code allows a maximum of 1/4”. And of course, the installer could not seal the window either.
+ Update 12/31/2018: I contacted Morgan and Morgan Law Offices and their response was since there are no victims, they will not get involved - “Morgan and Morgan - for the People’s Money”
+ Note: Florida Governor Scott is a climate denier; Scott forbade his EPA employees from using the term “Climate Change” and further Scott as CEO of a company guilty of Medicare fraud, took the Fifth Amendment 57 times while being questioned about his companies crimes. Perhaps Rick Scott is the inspiration for the Building Departments disregard for human life.
Michael H O’Neal