Element Residents Returning Home After High-Rise Flooded

TAMPA, FL — Ten days after broken water pipes forced 500 residents and their pets to flee the Element apartment tower at 808 N Franklin St., Tampa Fire Rescue said all life safety systems are now operating normally and the building management is beginning the process of allowing most tenants back into the building.

On July 16, water leaks flooded 27 floors of the 35-story building.

Fire crews found the cause of the flooding was a breach in the main municipal water supply line inside the building. Components at two locations, on the 12th and 27th floors, were the source of the flooding.

Every floor from the 27th and below was impacted. The 28th to 35th floors escaped water damage.

The flooding prompted the total evacuation of the building. Residents were put up in hotel rooms by management staff.

“Restoration crews have been working around the clock to make repairs to the building so that residents can return as soon as possible," Northland Investment Corp. of Newton., Massachusetts, the building's owner, said in a statement. "Additionally, we have been assessing the extent of the water damage by floor and will be personally reaching out to those whose apartments were more severely impacted.”

Tampa Fire Rescue hasn't said whether the collapse of the condominium tower in Surfside, which killed 97 people earlier this month, prompted the city to be extra cautious about allowing residents back into the building. Tampa Fire Rescue members were part of the task force sent to Surfside to search the rubble for survivors.

However, the tragedy in Surfside has prompted a number of municipalities around the state to take a closer look at its building inspection programs.

Among them, Hillsborough County Commissioner Kimberly Overman proposed a new county ordinance to ensure that older high-rise buildings are inspected more frequently, are up to code and meets today's building standards.

"Most of our buildings that have been built in the last few years have standards to make sure that they are safe and are structurally sound based on hurricane codes," said Overman. "This ordinance is really addressing buildings that have been around for a long time."

Built in 2009, Element is one of Tampa's tallest buildings. It has 395 one- and two-bedroom apartments that rent for $2,500 to $4,855 a month, and a rooftop swimming pool.

See related story: Leak Floods 27 Floors Of Apartment Tower, Residents Evacuated