In West Palm Beach, Florida, the tower at 1515 S. Flagler has been at the center of asbestos debates for months. Now, the city commission has given developers at ultimatum: implode the building by the end of February, or pay a fine of $1,000 per day. Trinity Development Group LLC has taken on the demolition project. The tower is 30 stories tall, and has been empty for half a decade after being badly damaged in a hurricane. Company attorney Michael Weeks said, "Our only motivation at this point is getting that building down. The developer does not enjoy delay, does not enjoy dragging this out, and we’ve had a ton of battles on this project."

The implosion was originally delayed this summer when concerns were raised about the concentrations of asbestos in the building. It was thought at first that implosion would not be possible, because concentrations of asbestos might be too high, according to federal asbestos standards. Asbestos exposure is conclusively linked to the development of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer. Mesothelioma affects less than 3,000 Americans each year, and is the result of accidentally inhaling or ingesting asbestos particles. The majority of patients lose their battle with this cancer in less than two years following diagnosis.

Now, Advanced Explosive Demolition Inc., an Idaho demolition specialist, has taken the contract to demolish the building for the developer. As for the fine facing the developer if the building does not come down by February 28, Weeks said he thought the provision was unnecessary. "I don’t think that was necessary because (taking it down by February) has been our goal," Weeks said. "We couldn’t be any under more pressure."

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