The state of Florida should consider requiring high-rise buildings near the coast to undergo safety inspections every 20 years, according to a coalition of engineers and architects that formed after a Miami-area condominium collapsed in June, killing 98 people.

The recommendations, released four months after Champlain Towers South collapsed in Surfside, are based on �preserving the long-term health of buildings by assessing environmental and other degradation of structures and their systems over the life of a building,� the American Council of Engineering Companies of Florida and the Florida Engineering Society said in a news release.

Seven of the state�s engineering and architecture associations formed the Surfside Working Group to come up with ideas to prevent another tragedy like the partial collapse of the 12-story beachfront property.

The group also said nearly all large buildings in Florida should be inspected for structural problems within their first 30 years, with follow-ups every 10 years. Buildings within 3 miles (5 kilometers) of saltwater should be inspected within their first 20 years, with follow-up safety inspections every seven years, the group said.

�Our recommendation is not really to tell the condos, or owners of other buildings, how to maintain your property. It�s just to put a mechanism out there that these buildings need to be looked at every so often to identify any structural problems,� said Allen Douglas, executive director of the Florida Engineering Society and the American Council of Engineering Companies of Florida.

�We don�t know exactly why the tower fell. Whether it was a design error, whether it was a construction problem or whether it was just lack of maintenance,� Douglas said. �But I I think as an industry they felt a responsibility to put something out.�

The report has been forward to Florida legislators, he said.

The Miami Herald and the Tampa Bay Times first reported the recommendations Thursday.

The report calls for inspections on a wide range of buildings, including condominiums, offices and other structures that exceed 10 occupants and are covered by the state�s building code.

Only Broward and Miami-Dade counties require mandatory inspections of tall buildings.

Champlain Towers South was undergoing its 40-year inspection when it crumbled in the middle of the night. A 2018 engineer�s report noted �major structural damage� caused by lack of proper drainage on the pool deck.

The condominium board�s discussions over how to pay for the repairs delayed work on the building.

(AP)