St. Petersburg Calls for Stronger State Safety Standards After Crane Collapse

Following a crane collapse during Hurricane Milton, the city of St. Petersburg is urging Florida lawmakers to implement stricter safety regulations.

The incident occurred when a tower crane at the Residences at 400 Central toppled into a nearby office building at 490 First Ave. S, leaving a gaping hole in the structure. High winds from Milton caused the collapse, raising concerns about the safety of cranes during severe storms.

During a committee meeting on Thursday, St. Pete councilmembers emphasized that regulatory changes should come from the state level. Building official Don Tyre compared the situation to the Surfside condominium collapse, which prompted Florida to enact stricter inspection requirements for aging high-rises.

Currently, Florida law preempts local governments from regulating construction cranes, including hurricane preparations. A proposed bill in the state Senate aims to reverse this, but Tyre's resolution goes further—calling on the Florida Building Commission to establish uniform crane safety standards. The St. Pete City Council is set to vote on the resolution in an upcoming meeting.

However, state officials’ response remains uncertain. In 2024, Governor Ron DeSantis downplayed the need for state intervention, stating at a press conference in St. Pete:

"Do you really have to crack down from a state level? I would hope not. I think most of the time in Florida, that is handled very appropriately. I think it just takes a little bit of common sense."

Councilmember Gina Driscoll, who represents downtown St. Pete, stressed the urgency of the issue.

"All you have to do is think about the image of that crane busting through the Tampa Bay Times building," Driscoll said. "What if that had been the Princess Martha retirement community? What if it had been a residential building? We can't stop hurricanes, but we can push for better safety measures."

According to Tyre, tower cranes can fail in two ways: they can either snap, as seen at 400 Central, or the entire structure can be ripped from its base—an even more dangerous scenario. The crane at 400 Central was designed to withstand gusts of up to 120 mph, but wind speeds at higher elevations exceeded that threshold.

In response to the collapse, developers of the upcoming Waldorf Astoria Residences St. Petersburg have committed to using a crane rated for sustained winds of 149 mph. This requirement was voluntarily adopted by Feldman Equities and Property Markets Group before becoming a condition of the city’s site plan approval.

Councilmembers also want to improve public notification procedures. Contractors need at least a week’s notice to dismantle a crane, but Hurricane Milton’s rapid intensification made that impossible. Mayor Ken Welch warned residents about the risk of a crane collapse just one day before the storm hit—a timeframe the council believes should be extended.

As St. Pete pushes for stronger safety measures, the city hopes state lawmakers will take action to prevent future disasters.