Sprinkler System Breaks, Floods Tampa Luxury Condo

12/8/2014 (Permalink)

The Stovall Luxury condo was damaged by a broken sprinkler system

Sprinkler System Breaks, Floods Tampa Luxury Condo

For most Florida residents, they worry about flooding when a hurricane blows through and brings with it inches and inches of rain. However, for folks living in the Stovall on Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa, the flooding came from a most unexpected source--a broken sprinkler system.

On November 4th, gallon after gallon of water rolled down stairways and came through ceilings, causing millions of dollars in damages and displacing residents of all 33 units. Not only is electricity still shut off, but parts of the 22-story tower have so much standing water that the building resembles a Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at Disney. The accident, caused when a worker fell off scaffolding and grabbed a sprinkler pipe to break his fall, has caused residents to find living quarters wherever they can. Some are staying in hotels, while others are living in second homes or staying with friends or relatives.

According to condominium association president Gloria Giunta, despite the extensive damage to the building, it is expected to be fully repaired no later than Christmas. On that fateful Tuesday morning, Giunta was not at the Stovall but soon found her cell phone going crazy with calls from residents telling her about the crisis. Needless to say, she rushed back there only to find the place flooded with water and Tampa Fire and Rescue Personnel. Witnesses reported water dripping from light fixtures, staircases that resembled waterfalls and apartment after apartment with several inches of standing water. Despite firefighters reaching the main sprinkler pump and shutting it off, the damage was already done. As Tampa Fire and Rescue spokesman Jason Terry said, "You can't turn off gravity."

Fortunately for residents, SERVPRO responded to the scene and immediately began to set up fans and dehumidifiers to begin the cleanup and repair process. Crews from SERVPRO of West Brevard in South Florida assisted with the massive job of getting the building stabilized for additional repairs. With water and electricity shut off to all the tower's units, the repair process is slow at times yet steady. Some units are damaged more than others, with the biggest problems being damage to the building's electrical system and repairing wooden floors that are warped. Despite all the damage, some units are considered habitable. However, since there is no electricity in the building, most residents chose to live elsewhere while repairs are made.

The good news in all this is that no one, including the worker who fell, was injured during this incident. In addition, repair costs are expected to be covered by homeowner's and contractor's insurance policies. The building, completed in 2001, is home to many of Tampa's most prominent citizens including former University of Tampa president Bruce Samson. According to Giunta, the residents are very close-knit because there are only two units per floor, allowing people to get to know each other very well.

So while the incident made life very unpleasant in many ways, there was a bright side to the whole thing. Because of the damage to the Stovall's electrical system, the elevators were out for quite awhile. Due to this, people were forced to use the stairs more often, with many of them reporting losing a few pounds while getting fitter along the way. So when life gave these residents lemons, they simply made lemonade.