SURFSIDE, Fla. — Tuesday in Surfside brought no luck, no miracles and still no answers in the tragic collapse of the Champlain South Towers condominium.

Tuesday's rescue efforts found no survivors and one additional fatality, bringing the death toll to 12. Officials say 149 people are still missing.

But Tuesday also brought mounting questions in the small beachside town-turned-global epicenter of a tragic and historic rescue-and-recovery mission. How did the 40-year-old condo tower crumble? Why were the increasing signs of destruction and disrepair repeatedly ignored?

Rosalia Cordaro is a resident and owner at Champlain Tower South. She and her husband were in New York for business Thursday when their beach condominium spontaneously collapsed.

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"Someone called us at 6 o'clock in the morning, and I thought it was a joke," Cordaro said before breaking down. "I'm so sorry. I'm just so angry."

For at least a year, Cordaro said she had complained about issues with the building. Her front door didn't close properly. She noticed cracks.

"Under our balcony was a big, big crack that we complained about, but they just said they have to renovate everything so it will be OK, don't worry," she said over Zoom from her home in New York.

But she says she was never told of serious problems that were described as "major structural damage" by an engineering firm hired to inspect the building as part of the tower's county-mandated 40-year certification.

The damage, which included drainage issues in the tower's garage and under the pool deck were documented in a structural field survey in 2018.

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"Absolutely not," Cordaro said when asked if she was ever told the building was unsafe.

She said she and her husband had just sent a $95,000 check to the building — their portion of the estimated $16 million renovations.

"Do you think we would give them money if the building was not good?" she said.

Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett admitted there were "serious issues" with the building.

Burkett was not the mayor in 2018 when the engineering report was released or when a former town building official described the condo as being in "very good shape" about a month after engineers flagged those "major" structural issues.

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"We're all disturbed, to say the least, very disturbed," Burkett said.

He added that the town is in the process of digging through its archives and computer system to gather every document related to Champlain Tower South and its sister towers East and North.

Burkett also revealed Tuesday that the south tower was initially planned for 12 stories. He suggested a 13th-floor penthouse may have been a last-minute addition and said that town officials have yet to locate any plans for the 13th floor, he said.

"You design a building for 12 stories, and you add a 13th at the last minute; it's not a great idea," Burkett said.

When asked if he thought Surfside dropped the ball in protecting residents, Burkett said he hoped to answer that soon.

"We'll find out," he said. "We certainly will find out if the town dropped the ball."

This story was originally published by Katie LaGrone on Scripps station WPTV in Palm Beach, Florida.

Nearly three years before an oceanfront building collapsed near Miami, an engineering firm estimated the building needed more than $9 million in major repairs. That is according to emails from the firm of Morabito Consultants that were released by the city of Surfside.

The release of the 2018 cost estimate followed the earlier publication of another document from the firm showing the ground-floor pool deck of the building was resting on a concrete slab that had “major structural damage” and needed to be extensively repaired.

That report also uncovered “abundant cracking and spalling” of concrete columns, beams and walls in the parking garage. At least nine people were killed in the collapse and more than 150 people remained unaccounted for.

Authorities also announced Saturday they are beginning an audit of buildings nearing their 40-year review — like the fallen Champlain Towers South — to make sure they’re safe.

While the engineering report from the firm of Morabito Consultants did not warn of imminent danger from the damage — and it is unclear if any of the damage observed was responsible for the collapse — it did note the need for extensive and costly repairs to fix the systemic issues with the building, specifically to fix the slab as well as damaged concrete columns beams and walls in the parking garage.

A half-dozen scientists and engineers who specialize in disastrous structure failures are headed to south Florida to collect firsthand information on the cause of the catastrophic collapse of Champlain Towers South.

Their initial work will be used to determine whether to pursue a more thorough study. Jason Averill at the National Institute of Standards and Technology says the first two members of the agency's team arrived in Florida on Friday and four more will be there by Monday.

That agency also investigated disasters such as the collapse of the Twin Towers on 9/11, the 2011 Joplin, Missouri, tornadoes and Hurricane Maria's devastation in Puerto Rico.

SURFSIDE, Fla. (WPTV) -- The mother of a boy who was rescued from the rubble after a Surfside condominium building collapsed early Thursday has been identified as one of the victims.

Family members of Stacie Fang released a statement Friday confirming her death.

"There are no words to describe the tragic loss of our beloved Stacie," the family said in a statement. "The members of the Fang and Handler family would like to express our deepest appreciation for the outpouring of sympathy, compassion and support we have received. The many heartfelt words of encouragement and love have served as a much needed source of strength during this devastating time. On behalf of Stacie's son, Jonah, we ask you now to please respect our privacy to grieve and to try to help each other heal."

Fang, 54, died Thursday shortly after arriving at Aventura Hospital, NBC affiliate WTVJ reported.

Her 15-year-old son, Jonah Handler, was seen on video being pulled from the wreckage in the early morning hours after the collapse.

Handler plays baseball at Monsignor Edward Pace High School in Miami Gardens.

His condition wasn't immediately known, but sources told WPLG that he was in a hospital, possibly with broken bones.

At least four people are dead and 159 people were still missing as of Friday morning.

This story originally reported by Peter Burke on WPTV.com.

SURFSIDE, Fla. (WPTV) -- The first lawsuit has been filed in connection with the deadly collapse this week at a South Florida condominium.

The suit was filed late Thursday night, less than 24 hours after the Champlain Towers building partially collapsed in Surfside, Florida, killing at least four people.

It was filed on behalf of Manuel Drezner and attorney Brad Sohn of The Brad Sohn Law Firm for the victims involved in the tragedy.

The class-action lawsuit against the building association seeks to compensate the victims and says the defendant failed to "safeguard the lives and property" of residents.

The suit goes on to say that the association failed to "properly protect the lives and property" of the plaintiffs.

"According to public statements made by Defendant’s attorney Ken Direktor, 'repair needs had been identified' with regard to certain structural issues but had not been implemented; one of the most breathtakingly frightening tragedies in the history of South Florida followed," the lawsuit said.

The plaintiffs in the case are seeking restitution, recovery of damages and the cost of attorney fees following the tragedy.

They are seeking to recover $5 million for the victims, according to the lawsuit.

Sohn said he has been contacted by numerous victims who said they did have concerns over the structural integrity of the building prior to the partial collapse.

The attorney said the goal of the lawsuit is to try to make the victims whole again as soon as possible and to start holding those accountable so that evidence may be preserved.

Direktor, the attorney representing the Champlain Towers South Association, rejected the lawsuit.

"I don't know what caused this building to fall down, you don't know what caused this building to fall down, government officials do not know what caused this building to fall down, the engineers don't know what caused this building to fall down," Direktor said. "Please, explain to me how this lawyer knows what caused this building to fall down."

MORE: How to help those impacted by the Surfside condo collapse

More than 150 people are still unaccounted for as first responders continue to sift through the rubble looking for survivors.

The building was constructed in 1981 and set to undergo a 40-year recertification process, which is mandated by code enforcement in Miami-Dade County.

This story originally reported by Michelle Quesada and Scott Sutton on WPTV.com.