Must have been all the rain soaking into the support structures. Some may want to point the blame at Collier County's fine craftsmen who performed the intial work though we all must remember, homes and buildings are constructed to last 5-10 years or at least until the next tear down project. Same as a car or computer.

Don't exactly know what caused this collapse but, as a home inspector it appears that the metal lath that is impregnated with stucco was too heavy for the attaching hardware.

They probably used nails instead of screws too secure the lath. I'm surprised it held up as long as it did.

Glad no one was hurt from the shoddy workmanship, can you say lawsuit if somebody was injured?

I've seen this happen before- in a salty humid environment it is critical that the fasteners for the lath (especially ceilings) be marine grade.

Kudos to a restaurant owner who chose safety over profits. That is a man with character. May he have a very successful new year!

$5.00 says the first person that posted above is the actual laborer who did the work. Downtown Naples construction should be expected to last only 5 years eh? What the...

Yeah, thanks for protecting the public..contrary to the thoughts of many..this element of construction is virtually never inspected nor are the standards widely known for fasteners, linkage & finish material..including those whom design/approve & field check execution..the whole vertical face fell off a 6 story bldg. in Ft. Myers some years ago..glad it didnt fall in my merlot..

I was a few doors down from this location in the Lady from Haiti store when we heard what sounded like a truck turning over and I and my family ran out into the cloud of dust. Naturally, I have some curiosity about it.

A few things missing from the story:
1. Who: Who owns the building?
2. What and why: What were the materials in the portico? Can we get a second or third source on the cause of the collapse? Was there asbestos involved? Is there any danger to diners tonight? When was it last inspected? What are the implications for the rest of the building? What action is the city taking? What's the estimated cost of the damage and the repair?

Even if these questions couldn't be answered on the spot, the effort to get this information should have been demonstrated in the story.

Trexler, there were and still are scandals to hit as a result of the lack of inspections by those who are holding our public trust in both the City and County building departments. "Drive by" inspections are way too common.

Anyone ever watch a cable program called Holmes on Homes? Too bad this guy is based in Canada. He could do a lot of good in this area. At least the entire building didn't collapse! Think I read something about an entire building coming down in another country related to paid for "inspections" and terrible workmanship.

Sometimes even if things are technically built to code, the minimum is NOT enough.

Hey Trex, have a fav merlot? Am partial to good Bordeaux, but merlot is nice too.

Happy New Year: looking forward to 2008.

BlueTonguedVole:
your comment shows that you are not in the building industry and have no idea how the inspections process really is in collier county. Yes many years ago pre hurricane Andrew drive by instections were common, but in the last few years even when the inspectors were streatched to the limit there were not drive by inspections occuring regularlly. These inspectors try to find somthing wrong with the work for 2 reasons, they can be held accountable if somthing goes wrong, and a failed inspection generates revenue for the county. Also just so everybody knows, stucco and lathe is not inspected in Collier County, so this work did not have to be inspected.

sixfan...no I am not in this industry, but after having had direct contact with a few inspectors who didn't even look at the plans and knowing others who have dealt with them also, I stand with my original comments. I have witnessed "drive by inspections" also.
Again just because something may be "technically correct" i.e., not required to be inspected doesn't mean this is a good thing. Perhaps stucco and lathe NEEDS to be inspected.