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Construction of the Ocean Tower building was suspended in May 2008.  Due to architectural and engineering errors the building had settled 14 inches and tilted 4 degrees off plumb.  It was determined that these deficiencies could not be corrected.  In November it was decided that the building would be imploded and the materials and fixtures would be recycled and or sold.

At 31 stories this is the tallest building and the largest concrete structure with the most rebar on record to have been imploded.  

This photo was taken from about a mile out in the Gulf of Mexico about an hour before the implosion.

Shortly after 9:00 AM the implosion began.  Notice the puffs of smoke from the initial detonation at the garage level and several levels above.  

Coast Guard cutters, US Customs and Border Protection along with local enforcement agency patrol boats kept spectator boats from entering a safety perimeter of 3,000 feet from the beach.

The garage floors begin to collapse and the dust cloud begins to erupt.

The center of the building sags as the 55,000 ton structure begins to fold in on itself.

The explosive charges have all been detonated and the building begins to fall straight down.

The air conditioner platforms have dropped from a horizontal plane to vertical and taken on the appearance of cartoon eyes looking quite surprised.

No longer recognizable as a building the face seems to be saying, "What's happening?"

The dust cloud begins to envelope the buildings to the south

It's nearly finished.  While the dust cloud will become huge and drift to the south, none of the debris from the tower will have fallen outside the containment zone leaving next door buildings undamaged.

The top floors have tilted to the north, but will fall well within the containment zone.

The implosion required three miles of detonation cord, 2,400 pounds of explosive charges strategically placed in more than 3,000 locations in the building.

Elapsed time from detonation of initial charges to final collapse of the building was estimated to be approximately 12  and a half seconds.

As the dust cloud drifts to the south the remains of Ocean Tower SPI are revealed to be a rather tidy pile of rubble 5 or 6 stories tall.

Border Patrol agents examine the rubble pile from about a half mile off shore.  Spectators watched the implosion from the beach as well as from private and charter boats in the Gulf of Mexico and from Laguna Madre between the island and the mainland.

About an hour after the implosion traffic jams highway 100 which bisects the island from north to south.  The highway had been closed from 7:00 AM until it had been inspected for debris, cleaned  and sprayed.  Nearby buildings, including the high rise in the background had been evacuated until the implosion had been completed.

Engineering and safety workers gather in the adjacent lot to begin assessing the physical and environmental impact of the implosion.

Had the building been safely completed condominiums would have sold from $500,000 to $2 million.  Deposits were returned to prospective buyers and law suits against the architectural and engineering firms are proceeding.