Tag Archives: Surfside

The New York Daily News reports: Attorneys with the 17 law firms who brokered the $1.1 billion settlement between Florida’s Champlain Towers and victims of its deadly 2021 collapse were awarded $70 million in fees Monday. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Hanzma expressed satisfaction that the families of the 98 people killed in last summer’s tragedy were “in essence being made …

NBC News reports: A judge gave final approval Thursday to a settlement topping $1 billion for victims of the collapse of a Florida beachfront condominium building that killed 98 people, one of the deadliest building failures in U.S. history. The decision by Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman came a day before the one-year anniversary of the Champlain Towers South disaster …

The Miami Herald reports: In a surprisingly swift resolution of the Champlain Towers South class-action lawsuit, relatives of victims and survivors of the Surfside condo collapse have reached a settlement that will pay them nearly $1 billion, a state court judge was told Wednesday. The comprehensive settlement announced in Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Michael Hanzman’s courtroom effectively closes the litigation …

NBC News reports: Negotiations between the Florida Senate and House of Representatives, both controlled by Republicans, broke down, with the two sides unable to agree on a bill that would require inspections of aging condo buildings and mandate that condo boards conduct studies to determine how much they need to set aside for repairs. The talks were undone by a …

Bloomberg News reports: The catastrophic structural failure that led to the collapse of the Champlain Towers condominium outside Miami in June was linked to construction of a luxury high-rise development next door, according to a lawsuit filed by families of people killed in the disaster. Developers of the Renzo Piano-designed Eighty Seven Park were improperly allowed to build higher and …

The Miami Herald reports: In the rubble of one of the deadliest building failures in modern history, Hussain Sajwani sees opportunity — a prime beachfront property that could become home to the billionaire Middle East developer’s first project on American soil. Sajwani, a friend and business partner of Donald Trump known for flashy towers in his native Dubai, has visions …

Reuters reports: A man and two women were arrested and charged with stealing the identities of seven victims of the Surfside condominium collapse near Miami Beach this summer and attempting to obtain credit cards in their names, a Florida prosecutor said on Wednesday. Betsy Alejandra Cacho-Medina, 30, Kimberly Michelle Johnson, 34, and Rodney Choute, 38, face multiple counts of identity …

Miami’s ABC News affiliate reports: On June 24, the Champlain Towers South building collapsed, killing 98 people. Officials are still in the early stages of determining the cause of the catastrophe. The town has already received an offer on the property, but what the future holds for this land is in limbo. Some families want to see a memorial where …

Miami’s NBC News affiliate reports: Officials in Miami-Dade County said Monday the last remaining missing person has been accounted for and identified in the Surfside condominium tragedy. Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said all 98 families have been notified regarding the deaths of their loved ones. A total of 242 people are accounted for, the mayor said. Levine Cava said 97 …

Miami’s ABC News affiliate reports: After 29 emotionally and physically difficult days of search, rescue, and recovery efforts at the site of the Champlain Towers South condominium collapse, members of two task forces were saluted as they demobilized Friday at noon. “Providing closure to families was the ultimate test of everybody here, and I think we did our best to …

Miami’s NBC News affiliate reports: It’s time to go. Everyone who lives at the Regent Palace condominium saw the destruction at Champlain Towers, less than six blocks away, and they don’t need to be forced out. They’re leaving or they’ve already left, voluntarily. The building was constructed 70 years ago on the beach at 93rd and Collins. The residents hired …

Miami’s ABC News affiliate reports: Disturbing reports are emerging of a hacker taking advantage of those who were killed in the partial collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium building in Surfside. Officials said the criminal is seeing the victims’ names in the news and then stealing their identities. Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett told Local 10 News that he is …

The Associated Press reports: At a hearing, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman ordered that the process begin to sell the site of Champlain Towers South, which could fetch $100 million to $110 million according to court records. The court-appointed receiver handling finances related to the condo, attorney Michael Goldberg, said the judge wants the sale to move quickly. Goldberg said …

Miami’s CBS News affiliate reports: Exhausted crews are on day 21, and nearing the end, of their search for victims as the site of the Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside. The death toll stands at 95. The county’s medical examiner’s office said every individual that was found in the building collapse will have the same cause of death – …

Miami’s CBS News affiliate reports: Search-and-recovery efforts continued uninterrupted at the site of the Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside into the night and Sunday morning. “Our teams worked tirelessly, as ever, to make progress on the collapse site. Truly, it is a remarkable operation,” Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava Mayor Cava said. “Our team continues to make incredible progress …

The Miami Herald reports: Binx, a cat that lived on the ninth floor of Champlain Towers South condo, was found safe two weeks after the building collapsed and has been reunited with its family, an animal rescue organization said. The cat was found near the rubble and was taken Thursday night to Kitty Campus, an organization that cares for community …

Reuters reports: The confirmed death toll in the collapse of a Miami-area condominium tower increased to 78 on Friday after workers recovered an additional 14 bodies and whittled the rubble down close to ground level, officials said. A total of 62 people remain missing and feared dead in the concrete and steel ruins of the 12-story building in the oceanfront …

Reuters reports: Should the prime beach property in Surfside be turned into a memorial? Or should it be sold for hundreds of millions of dollars to raise money for victims and their kin? Experts in trauma stemming from disasters said it’s crucial that there be some type of physical place where the families of those killed in the June 24 …

Miami’s NBC News affiliate reports: Late last year, after years of delays and disputes, the Champlain Towers South Condominium Association began a desperate search for $16.2 million to fix major structural damage that was slowly threatening the Surfside high-rise — and that may have contributed to the building’s partial collapse June 24. “If the owners would have had a reserve …

The Miami Herald reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that condominiums in Florida are “kind of a dime a dozen, particularly in southern Florida,” but he would not commit to any state action to address concerns about the aging buildings, suggesting that Champlain Towers South “had problems from the start.” Speaking after a briefing on Tropical Storm Elsa at the …