West Palm Beach Construction Defect Expert Witnesses

Oxley serves West Palm Beach and Palm Beach County construction defect matters from its office at 13830 58th St N, Suite 403, Clearwater, FL 33760. The firm does not maintain a West Palm Beach office. We travel for depositions, mediations, site visits and document reviews in West Palm Beach, the Town of Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter, Boca Raton and elsewhere in the county.

Dan has testified in six matters involving construction defect damages on high-rise, mid-rise, or condominium buildings.

Town of Palm Beach, West Palm Beach and Singer Island buildings

Palm Beach County’s residential construction includes low-rise luxury buildings in the Town of Palm Beach and high-rise condominium and apartment towers in West Palm Beach and on Singer Island. Those building types present different repair questions. A low-rise building in the Town of Palm Beach may involve envelope, waterproofing or renovation work on a smaller structure, while towers in West Palm Beach and on Singer Island often involve stacked residential units, common areas and shared building systems. Defect and renovation assignments in this market often involve repair scope and renovation cost, including how much of a proposed repair is needed to address the condition as it exists and what should be identified separately as an upgrade. Palm Beach County coverage includes West Palm Beach, the Town of Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter and Boca Raton, along with other communities in the county. Oxley provides construction expert opinions on condition, workmanship, repair scope and cost of remedy. Structural engineering opinions come from a licensed engineer, and Oxley works alongside the engineer retained in the matter. Disputes often follow turnover from the developer to the association, or a milestone inspection report.

After the 2021 Surfside condominium collapse, Florida law added milestone inspection and structural integrity reserve study (SIRS) requirements for many existing condominium and cooperative buildings. Those reviews can raise questions about condition, workmanship, repair scope and cost of remedy. Oxley’s work is not a statutory milestone inspection or a structural integrity reserve study.

Who does the work

Daniel R. Zorrilla, J.D., BSBC, CGC, CFCC, is Oxley’s President and has testified as a construction defect expert in court and in arbitration. From 1999 to 2005 Dan worked in Suffolk Construction’s West Palm Beach office on South Florida mid-rise and high-rise residential projects. That was prior employment experience, not work performed by Oxley. Dan has testified in six matters involving construction defect damages on high-rise, mid-rise, or condominium buildings. Full profile →

Brian C. Moye, CBC, is a Managing Director whose work includes construction defects, repair scope and methodology, and construction costs. He has been in construction since 2004 and has been a Florida Certified Building Contractor since 2006. He has testified in more than 75 cases in state and federal court on property damage estimating and construction. His background includes high-rise renovations and project management for high-rise and commercial restoration following hurricanes. Full profile →

The assignment determines which team members contribute. CVs and testimony histories are available to counsel on request.

How a defect assignment is approached

The work starts with the condition as it actually exists, then compares as-built work to what the documents required, then considers repair alternatives and cost information that relate to the assigned questions. Oxley provides construction expert opinions on condition, workmanship, repair scope and cost of remedy. Structural engineering opinions come from a licensed engineer, and Oxley works alongside the engineer retained in the matter. When a claim calls for water testing, Oxley retains outside engineers or testing firms and works their results into the analysis.

Oxley acts for only one party on a project. Fees do not depend on the findings. Any earlier role on the project is disclosed at intake.

Possible assignment outputs

• Assessment of alleged defects against the contract documents and applicable requirements
• Analysis of workmanship, materials and installation against the contract documents, with design questions coordinated with the retained architect or engineer.
• Cost of remedy, with betterment identified separately
• Technical findings and, when part of the engagement, expert testimony

Frequently asked questions