A settlement totaling more than $1 billion dollars for the victims of the 2021 condominium collapse in Surfside, Florida, has been reached.
More than two dozen defendants connected to the Champlain Towers South condominium complex, including insurance companies, real estate developers, engineers, contractors, and the town of Surfside, submitted a settlement agreement totaling $1,021,199,000, in a class-action <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/first-lawsuit-filed-over-deadly-condo-tower-collapse-in-florida">lawsuit</a> from victims of the collapse, the <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article261857020.html">Miami Herald</a> reported. Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman gave his preliminary approval on Saturday after a final court hearing.
“It’s a great result,” Hanzman said during the hearing conducted via Zoom between lawyers for both sides of the suit, according to the Herald. “This agreement appears to be a very reasonable compromise of the claims.”
“This was a very contested deal,” Hanzman added, according to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-florida-surfside-building-collapse-8a963a33562a041e011baf0da7fe871c">Associated Press</a>.
Rachel Furst, who served as the co-chair of the group of attorneys representing the families of the victims, said that the agreement would also give the defendants &#8220;complete peace&#8221; they would not be sued again. “This was heavily negotiated,” Furst said. “We believe this is an outstanding settlement.” Still, the AP noted that some of the victim&#8217;s families may opt out and pursue their own independent claims.
In a separate statement from the attorneys group, Furst and co-chair Harley Tropin praised the efforts of Judge Hanzman, as well as court-appointed mediator Bruce Greer and settlement receiver Michael Goldberg, for bringing the settlement together at a speed that impressed not only the judge, but the families.
“We are pleased to have finalized the settlements we reached with more than two dozen parties and their insurers,” Furst and Tropin wrote.“We are grateful to Judge Hanzman, who fast-tracked this case to get it resolved in record time. We also recognize the efforts of the receiver Michael Goldberg and the mediator Bruce Greer and all of the members of the plaintiffs steering committee who worked tirelessly on this matter.”
The largest share of the settlement, totaling about $517.5 million, will be paid by Securitas Security Services USA. The company was a security contractor for the building, hired to provide security guards and monitors, including an all-call alarm system for every resident in the building. Other plaintiffs included the developers of a neighboring high-rise condo complex, Eighty Seven Park, as well as that building&#8217;s engineers and architects. The developers of Eighty Seven Park were accused of causing damage to the Champlain South property during construction, the Herald reported. Those parties contributed an additional $400 million to the deal.
Morabito Consultants, who served as engineering consultants for the Champlain Towers South condo association, contributed some $16 million. Western Waterproofing Company of America provided $25 million, Concrete Protection &amp; Restoration contributed $11 million, and the Becker Law Firm added $31 million. The town of Surfside added $2 million. The Herald noted that none of the plaintiffs admitted responsibility and most of the payments will be made through insurance coverage.
Hanzman is expected to give final approval to the settlement later this summer, after a “fairness hearing” on June 23 and a comment period. Families have until June 16th to opt out. Families will also have to file individual claims, as money will not be distributed evenly. The families will be notified immediately, and notices will go out on the Champlain Towers South website and in the Herald, the AP reported. Money is expected to be distributed beginning in September.
In the meantime, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) <a href="https://www.news4jax.com/news/florida/2022/05/25/florida-passes-condominium-safety-bill-in-wake-of-surfside/">signed a law</a> Wednesday that would require condominiums to be recertified after 30 years, or 25 years if the building is within 3 miles of the coast, and every 10 years after that. Champlain Towers South was going through the 40-year recertification process required by Miami-Dade County when it <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/death-toll-rises-in-condo-collapse-number-of-missing-persons-grows-to-159">collapsed</a> last year.

Search Shifts To Recovery Operation At Surfside Condo Collapse

Victims of Florida Condo Collapse Reach $1 Billion Settlement

Victims Of The Surfside, Florida, Condo Collapse Reach $1 Billion Settlement

Florida

Lawsuit

Surfside

Several victims of the tragic Surfside, Florida, condo collapse earlier this year allegedly had their identities stolen by a group of people. 
As <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/571444-surfside-condo-victims-allegedly-had-identities-stolen-for-luxury?rl=1">reported</a> by The Hill, three people face several charges connected to identity theft, as announced by authorities on Wednesday. The three face accusations of stealing a minimum of $45,000, which does not include an additional $67,000 that they tried to take. 
The Hill reported: 
<blockquote>
Miami-Dade County State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NWVdFQa-WY">said in a news conference</a> that the actions of the thieves were first identified by a sister of a deceased victim on July 9, roughly 16 days after the building collapsed.
The sister told the Surfside Police Department that she had noticed the victim’s mailing address had changed and replacement credit cards were requested after the collapse. There were also multiple wire transfers from the deceased victim’s account, and several fraudulent purchases on the replacement credit cards, authorities said.
Rundle said the suspects stole the identities of at least seven victims of the building collapse, two of whom are not deceased. There were also two other victims that were not part of the building collapse.
</blockquote>
“These individuals appear to be very skilled identity thieves. They’re professionals,” Fernandez Rundle said. “Except for their names, almost nothing else about them seems to be true.”
“We discussed that cyber-grave robbers move quickly after the collapse to grab what they could from deceased victims while families and friends were in emotional turmoil,” Fernandez Rundle also <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article254072193.html">said</a>. 
&#8220;Their motto could’ve been, ‘Your loss is our gain&#8217;,&#8221; she <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/miami-surfside-victims-identities-stolen-suspect-arrests">added</a>.
“Today, they got what they deserved,” Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article254072193.html">said</a> about the suspects.
In July, Burkett <a href="https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/surfside-condo-collapse/here-come-the-grifters-identity-thieves-preying-on-surfside-victims/2497442/">said</a> that crooks were looking to take advantage of victims of the tragedy. 
“It’s the revictimization of the victims that we’re sort of starting to experience right now with these hackers,” Burkett said at the time. “They’ve seen the names in the paper, they’re going right to that and we’ve had to have discussions with the families and listen to them telling us the stories about all of a sudden credit cards appearing in their names and things being purchased in their name, so we’ve told ‘em, you’ve got to immediately shut down your credit.”
As Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/miami-surfside-victims-identities-stolen-suspect-arrests">reported</a>, the three alleged robbers are set to appear in bond court on Thursday. They were expected to be held Wednesday night at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on various amounts of $1 million, $500,000, and $430,000 bonds. 
At the end of July, a final missing person from the partial building collapse was identified, bringing the death toll to 98 people.
As NBC News previously <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/98th-final-missing-person-reportedly-recovered-identified-florida-partial-building-n1274182">reported</a>, “Officials had originally said that as many as 159 people were unaccounted for, but detectives worked for weeks to cross-check reports of missing people that may have been multiples or already accounted for.” 
“The recovery and identification of the last remains do not mark the end of sifting through the debris. Crews are still digging out evidence to be catalogued for the investigation and personal belongings — including religious items, firearms, photo albums and jewelry — to hopefully return to the victims’ families,” the outlet noted at the time.
No final cause has been determined for what led to the building collapsing, but <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-miami-area-condo-collapse/2021/06/30/1011670548/as-condo-warnings-mounted-town-officials-demanded-only-minor-changes">there may have been prior indications</a> and warnings that the building was unstable. Materials have been taken from the area to a nearby facility close to the Miami International Airport for inspection, per Fox News.

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Arrests Made In Alleged Identity Theft Of Surfside Collapse Victims

Another victim and the final missing person from the partial building collapse in Surfside, Florida, was identified Monday, bringing the death toll to 98 people.
At a Monday news conference, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/98th-final-missing-person-reportedly-recovered-identified-florida-partial-building-n1274182">said</a> the final missing person&#8217;s family had been told after the identification of the person’s remains, which ended the search.
According to an <a href="https://www.miamidade.gov/police/releases/Surfside_Building_Collapse_Update29.asp">update</a> from Miami-Dade police, the final missing person was identified as Estelle Hedaya, who was 54 years old.
&#8220;As we enter month two alone, without any other families, we feel helpless,&#8221; her younger brother <a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-florida-surfside-building-collapse-8c92c024cab1511d130898f02cf3489a">told </a>The Associated Press on Friday. 
“Nothing we can say or do can bring back these 98 angels,&#8221; Levine Cava said, &#8220;who left behind grieving families, beloved friends, and loved ones across this community and across the world.” 
&#8220;I&#8217;m especially proud that through these efforts, we were able to bring closure to all those that reported missing loved ones.”
Firefighters <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/firefighters-end-search-bodies-surfside-condo-collapse-site-n1274902">stopped looking</a> for bodies Friday and police officers were set to continue looking for human remains, as well as personal belongings, in the debris. 
As NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/98th-final-missing-person-reportedly-recovered-identified-florida-partial-building-n1274182">reported</a>, “Officials had originally said that as many as 159 people were unaccounted for, but detectives worked for weeks to cross-check reports of missing people that may have been multiples or already accounted for.”
“The recovery and identification of the last remains do not mark the end of sifting through the debris. Crews are still digging out evidence to be catalogued for the investigation and personal belongings — including religious items, firearms, photo albums and jewelry — to hopefully return to the victims&#8217; families,&#8221; the outlet noted.
As The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/discussions-begin-for-surfside-condo-memorial-mayor-calls-collapsed-building-a-holy-site">reported</a>, the community of South Florida has begun to weigh how best to honor the lives that were lost in the collapse. 
“There’s a lot of emotion. People talk about it as a holy site,” said Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo Ramirez. “People want some sort of connection with their family member.”  
Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett made a suggestion earlier this month that it’s too early to specify any plans since many people are still in the grieving process, but he noted that the event obliges something to be put at the location to honor the people who died, according to <a href="https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/surfside-weighs-how-to-honor-lost-souls-at-holy-site/2493205/">NBC Miami</a>.
“I think the first thing we need to do is get the families situated, so they have a semblance of their life back — get them to the point where they aren’t burdened by the grief and emotion that they’re going through right now,” said Burkett.  
“It’s obvious that this has become much more than a collapsed building site,” Burkett said. “It has become a holy site.” 
The people who were affected by the tragedy will reportedly be able to receive some compensation for their loss. 
As <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jul/14/judge-miami-condo-collapse-site-sale">reported</a> by The Guardian, “At a hearing, Miami-Dade circuit judge Michael Hanzman ordered that the process begin to sell the site of the Champlain Towers South, which could fetch $100m to $110m, according to court records.”
The ruling came at the same time as the first lawsuits stemming from the collapse, filed largely by families of the missing and deceased. No cause has been determined for what led to the building collapsing, but <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-miami-area-condo-collapse/2021/06/30/1011670548/as-condo-warnings-mounted-town-officials-demanded-only-minor-changes">there may have been prior indications</a> and warnings that the building was unstable.

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Final Missing Person Recovered In Surfside Tragedy

The survivors and family members of victims who perished in the Surfside condo collapse in June will receive at least $150,000,000 in compensation, a judge ruled Wednesday, a month after dozens of residents perished in the middle of the night. 
According to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-florida-surfside-building-collapse-c91dc35b7aaec99dec708b87e178659d">The Associated Press</a>, the $150,000,000 will serve as an initial compensation package shared among former residents and their families. The money will come from the sale of the land, where the Surfside Condo building once stood, and from a $50,000,000 insurance claim. The lot may yield even more than $100,000,000 when it&#8217;s finally sold. 
Ninety-five people have been confirmed as dead from the building collapse. The whereabouts of three other people remain unknown, which means that the death toll may reach 98 if authorities determine they were in the building at the time it collapsed. 
The cause of the building’s collapse has not been determined. 
Despite an arduous search and rescue effort, officials did not recover anyone from the rubble alive once the first hours after the accident had passed. On July 8, nearly two weeks after the collapse, authorities officially transitioned to a recovery operation — having determined there were no viable ways anyone could still be alive in the rubble. 
“At this point, we have truly exhausted every option available to us in the search and rescue mission,” Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V_nfI7FlLw">said</a> after concluding the effort’s rescue portion. “So today is about beginning the transition to recovery so that we can help to bring closure to the families who have been suffering and waiting for news.”
Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman, who issued the Wednesday ruling, has previously <a href="https://www.local10.com/news/local/2021/07/14/judge-approves-sale-of-site-of-surfside-condo-collapse/">said</a>, “This is obviously a case where there’s no amount of money that could possibly be available to compensate these families from their suffering and loss.&#8221; 
“While there’s no money in the world that can do that, the law places value on claims, and these claims are going to have to be valued. The court has no doubt the aggregate value of the claims that the law will place on them is going to far exceed all amounts available for recovery, both by way of insurance proceeds, assets and third-party claims,&#8221; said Hanzman. 
Hanzman, who will also oversee civil lawsuits connected to the condo building, has also rejected calls for the site of the former Condo building to be turned into a memorial if doing so would require victims and their families to donate any land, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/22/us/miami-dade-building-collapse-thursday/index.html">according</a> to CNN. 
&#8220;These victims who have lost their homes, their personal belongings, and in many cases their lives are not going to be sacrificing the value of their real estate for the public good,&#8221; said Hanzman. 
&#8220;Regardless of the views of some people who are not victims, this court&#8217;s task and your task is to compensate the victims of this tragedy, period,&#8221; he said.

Florida, Miami, Surfside Building Collapse,  pile of debris with heavy equipment to help remove

Judge Says Surfside Victims Can Get $150 Million In Compensation

A judge has approved the sale of the site where a condo building partially collapsed in Surfside, Florida, last month with the funds intended to help the victims of the tragedy.
As <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jul/14/judge-miami-condo-collapse-site-sale">reported</a> by The Guardian, “At a hearing, Miami-Dade circuit judge Michael Hanzman ordered that the process begin to sell the site of the Champlain Towers South, which could fetch $100m to $110m, according to court records.”
The ruling comes at the same time as the first lawsuits stemming from the collapse, filed largely by families of the missing and deceased. No cause has been determined for what led to the building collapsing, but <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-miami-area-condo-collapse/2021/06/30/1011670548/as-condo-warnings-mounted-town-officials-demanded-only-minor-changes">there may have been prior indications</a> and warnings that the building was unstable. 
Hanzman <a href="https://www.local10.com/news/local/2021/07/14/judge-approves-sale-of-site-of-surfside-condo-collapse/">said</a>, “This is obviously a case where there’s no amount of money that could possibly be available to compensate these families from their suffering and loss,” adding, “While there’s no money in the world that can do that, the law places value on claims, and these claims are going to have to be valued. The court has no doubt the aggregate value of the claims that the law will place on them is going to far exceed all amounts available for recovery, both by way of insurance proceeds, assets and third-party claims.”
“The court-appointed receiver handling finances related to the condo, attorney Michael Goldberg, said the judge wanted the sale to move quickly,” The Guardian noted.
“He wants us to start exploring a potential sale,” Goldberg said of the judge in an email to the outlet. “He did say he wants the land to be sold and the proceeds to go directly to the victims as soon as possible.”
Goldberg reportedly added that the action did not necessarily prevent someone who buys the property from transforming the area into a site for a memorial. 
&#8220;The judge put the lawsuits on a fast track and authorized Goldberg to begin disbursing insurance money to victims and families,&#8221; The Guardian added.
As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/discussions-begin-for-surfside-condo-memorial-mayor-calls-collapsed-building-a-holy-site">reported</a> earlier this week, the community of South Florida was beginning to weigh how best to honor the lives that were lost in the collapse. 
“There’s a lot of emotion. People talk about it as a holy site,” said Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo Ramirez. “People want some sort of connection with their family member.” 
According to <a href="https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/surfside-weighs-how-to-honor-lost-souls-at-holy-site/2493205/">NBC Miami,</a> the mayor of Surfside, Charles Burkett, made a suggestion on Monday that it’s too early to specify any plans since many people are still in the grieving process, but he noted that the event obliges something to be put at the location to honor the people who died. 
“I think the first thing we need to do is get the families situated, so they have a semblance of their life back — get them to the point where they aren’t burdened by the grief and emotion that they’re going through right now,” said Burkett.  
“It’s obvious that this has become much more than a collapsed building site,” Burkett said. “It has become a holy site.” 
Wednesday evening, the death toll was <a href="https://www.local10.com/news/local/2021/07/14/death-toll-in-surfside-condo-collapse-rises-to-96-one-more-victim-identified/">raised</a> to 97 people. Out of the 97 people who died, 90 have been identified and 88 families have been informed. Eight people are left potentially unaccounted for as of now. 
As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exhausted-every-option-crews-switching-to-recovery-effort-as-condo-collapse-death-toll-grows">reported</a> last week, the search and rescue mission was changed to a search and recovery effort in order to recover the remains of any people who died in the tragedy.  
“According to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-fl-state-wire-florida-surfside-building-collapse-da3696a7a3ca55c50374bc9b7afb123a">The Associated Press</a>, Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah informed families Wednesday afternoon that they would no longer use dogs and listening devices, both of which were deployed when rescue teams were looking for survivors. ‘Our sole responsibility at this point is to bring closure,’ said Jadallah,” The Daily Wire noted.

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Judge Approves Sale Of Surfside Condo Area For Potential Victim Benefit

The community of South Florida is beginning to weigh how best to honor the lives that were lost after a condominium building partially collapsed last month.  
“There’s a lot of emotion. People talk about it as a holy site,” said Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo Ramirez. “People want some sort of connection with their family member.”
According to <a href="https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/surfside-weighs-how-to-honor-lost-souls-at-holy-site/2493205/">NBC Miami,</a> the mayor of Surfside, Charles Burkett, made a suggestion on Monday that it’s too early to specify any plans since many people are still in the grieving process, but he noted that the event obliges something to be put at the location to honor the people who died.
“I think the first thing we need to do is get the families situated, so they have a semblance of their life back — get them to the point where they aren’t burdened by the grief and emotion that they’re going through right now,” said Burkett. 
“It’s obvious that this has become much more than a collapsed building site,” Burkett said. “It has become a holy site.”
The people who own the building, and the board of directors, have not said anything about the topic of creating a memorial site for the people who lost their lives and the loved ones they left behind. The process might become more complicated, as well, since the condo was part of valued beachfront real estate. Family members of the victims and survivors have also reportedly begun to file lawsuits for civil damages. 
As of Tuesday morning, the death toll was <a href="https://www.local10.com/news/local/2021/07/13/surfside-condo-collapse-updates-death-toll-increases/">raised</a> to 95 people with 14 who have still not been accounted for. Out of the 95 people who died, 85 have been identified and families have been told.
As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exhausted-every-option-crews-switching-to-recovery-effort-as-condo-collapse-death-toll-grows">reported</a> last week, the search and rescue mission was changed to a search and recovery effort in order to recover the remains of any people who died in the tragedy. 
“According to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-fl-state-wire-florida-surfside-building-collapse-da3696a7a3ca55c50374bc9b7afb123a">The Associated Press</a>, Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah informed families Wednesday afternoon that they would no longer use dogs and listening devices, both of which were deployed when rescue teams were looking for survivors. ‘Our sole responsibility at this point is to bring closure,’ said Jadallah,” The Daily Wire noted.
“At this point, we have truly exhausted every option available to us in the search and rescue mission,” Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V_nfI7FlLw">said</a> in a press conference last week. “So today is about beginning the transition to recovery so that we can help to bring closure to the families who have been suffering and waiting for news.”
“Before the Wednesday announcement, officials had been forced to pause the search and rescue efforts due to safety concerns, once because they feared the rubble was too unstable. More recently, crews were moved out of the way so that what remained of the 12-story building could be demolished, a move officials hoped would give them access to specific pockets of rubble where they’d find others. However, no one was found alive,” The Daily Wire added. 
Investigations into the collapse will take time, but several authorities have already <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/south-florida-official-demands-review-of-consultant-who-said-collapsed-miami-condo-was-in-very-good-shape-in-2018">called</a> for them including an official from a nearby town who called for a deeper review of the work completed by Rosendo “Ross” Prieto, a former official in the city after he was connected to the partial collapse of the condominium building in Surfside.

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Discussions Begin For Surfside Condo Memorial, Mayor Calls Collapsed Building ‘A Holy Site’

There has been far too much heartbreak and devastation resulting from the collapse of the South Florida condo building several weeks ago, but one family received some good news recently when a cat who lived on the ninth floor was found alive and returned to its family.
The Associated Press <a href="https://fox17.com/news/nation-world/cat-from-collapsed-building-found-alive-returned-to-family">reported</a> that the cat, named Binx, was found by a rescue worker who thought the feline looked like the missing cat and brought it to a rescue facility where it was identified by its owners.
“Gina Nicole Vlasek, co-founder of The Kitty Campus, posted on Facebook that a black cat resembling Binx was <a href="https://fox17.com/news/nation-world/crews-on-lookout-for-pets-in-florida-condo-building-collapse">found near the rubble </a>of the Surfside building Thursday night and brought to the group&#8217;s nearby facility in Miami Beach. A former Champlain Towers South resident visited The Kitty Campus on Friday and confirmed that the feline was hers, Vlasek said,” the AP reported.
Vlasek wrote on Facebook: “We are so grateful to be able to help in any small way.&#8221;
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava mentioned Binx’s rescue in a news conference, saying the cat was recognized by a volunteer who was helping to feed cats near the rubble.
“I’m glad that this small miracle could bring some light into the lives of a grieving family today and could provide a bright spot for our whole community in the midst of this terrible tragedy,” Levine Cava said at the press conference.
Levine Cava also said at the time that animal control workers are still placing live traps in an attempt to catch other pets that may have been able to escape the collapse. Officials now say 79 people were killed in the collapse, with another 61 still missing.
As The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-woman-wanted-to-save-a-pet-before-surfside-condo-was-demolished-her-request-was-denied-but-rescue-attempts-were-already-made">reported</a>, concerned rescuers attempted to delay the demolition of the remaining section of the condo building in order to try and rescue more animals.
The Miami Herald <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/miami-beach/article252574248.html">reported</a> that Paula Phillips, an attorney representing paralegal and animal rescue volunteer Stacey Karron, filed an emergency petition to save a stranded pet around 9:30 p.m. the day the condo was demolished. The request was denied and the building was demolished not long after.
The motion absolved anyone of any liability should Karron hurt herself while searching for pets who were still trapped in the crumbling condo building. While the name of the pet was not mentioned during the hearing or the motion, the New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/07/05/womans-bid-to-save-pet-rejected-before-remaining-condo-razed/">identified</a> it as possibly a cat named Coco.
While pet owners may have been horrified to learn Karron’s motion was denied, presumably sentencing Coco to death, but there is hope the feline escaped. Miami-Dade County Attorney Dave Murray argued against Karron’s motion, saying “This is not a case where the county has sat on their hands.”
Murray and others insisted that numerous rescue attempts had been made to save animals remaining in the building and that letting people in to try and rescue more animals would have put many people in danger.

Surfside condo

Cat Missing From Collapsed Surfside Condo Found Alive And Well, Reunited With Owners

Animals

A Miami-Dade County Task Force and their allies from across Florida &#8212; and from Israel &#8212; are still working diligently at the site of a collapsed condominium building in Surfside, trying to find survivors despite an official decision to change the &#8220;search and rescue&#8221; operation to one of &#8220;recovery.&#8221;
Miami-Dade Mayor Levine Cava told a local Florida news station that, despite being instructed to go home, members of the Miami-Dade County Task Force 1, are still at the site of the Champlain Towers South, searching for any potential survivors still buried in the rubble.
&#8220;Our Miami-Dade County Task Force 1 members, who’ve been here since the beginning… they could go home, but they are still here,&#8221; she said, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/rescuers-at-florida-condo-collapse-told-they-can-go-home-but-they-refuse">according to Fox News</a>.
“State officials said earlier that they do not expect to find any more survivors and the rescue effort is now focused on recovery. The decision to end the rescue effort came after crews completed a search of the last area where they expected to find &#8216;voids,&#8217; or pockets of debris large enough to possibly contain survivors,&#8221; the outlet continued. &#8220;Eight more bodies were recovered Wednesday, bringing the death toll to 54, the mayor said. Thirty-three of the dead have been identified, and 86 people are still unaccounted for.&#8221;
“The fact that we did not get an alert on a K-9, a sensor trip for sound and any visual utilizing our cameras, the last known alert that we received was the initial hours the day of the collapse,” Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raied Jadallah <a href="https://wsvn.com/news/local/search-of-collapsed-condo-to-shift-from-rescue-effort-to-recovery-operation-death-toll-at-54/">said in a meeting with families of those still missing in the shocking tragedy</a>.
“Our hearts still hoped to find survivors, but our experience and expertise indicated that was no longer possible,” Jadallah continued, adding that the team did not find anyone in the rubble who could have survived the initial collapse.
Members of an Israeli team, sent to help aid in the rescue mission, tried to comfort the families of those still missing, many of whom are Jewish.
“I ask you all to look into my eyes, and I promise you we did everything. No effort was saved,” one of the Israeli team members told the group.
Rescuers from across Florida participated in their own moment of silence for the Champlain South Towers victims. Miami-Dade Fire and Rescue posted a photo of their memorial to social media.
&#8220;With heavy hearts, we begin search &amp; recovery efforts, and will continue to give our all as our commitment still remains to reunite families with their loved ones,&#8221; they wrote.
Although the effort had since turned from search and rescue to recovery, an investigation into what caused the Champlain South Towers to suddenly collapse in the early hours of a Thursday morning late last month is just beginning. In addition to an inquiry into consulting companies and engineers who worked on the building or prepared reports about the condo tower&#8217;s stability, local officials say they will impanel a grand jury to comb over evidence of potential criminal liability.
&#8220;Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said a grand jury has agreed to look into the collapse, and she said whatever they determine at the end of the process could have implications nationwide,&#8221; <a href="https://wsvn.com/news/local/search-of-collapsed-condo-to-shift-from-rescue-effort-to-recovery-operation-death-toll-at-54/">Florida&#8217;s WSVN noted</a>.

‘I Promise You We Did Everything’: Miami Rescue Workers Refuse To Leave Collapsed Surfside Condo Site

Miami

Nearly two weeks after the last victims of the Surfside, Florida, residential condo building collapse were extracted from the rubble alive, emergency teams have made the decision to switch from a search and rescue effort over to a recovery effort.
According to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-fl-state-wire-florida-surfside-building-collapse-da3696a7a3ca55c50374bc9b7afb123a">The Associated Press</a>, Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah informed families Wednesday afternoon that they would no longer use dogs and listening devices, both of which were deployed when rescue teams were looking for survivors. “Our sole responsibility at this point is to bring closure,” said Jadallah.
As of Wednesday evening, shortly after 5:00 p.m., the official death toll was at 54, of whom 33 have been identified. In addition, the whereabouts of 86 people are still unknown to officials, which means that they may or may not have been in the building.
“At this point we have truly exhausted every option available to us in the search and rescue mission,” Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V_nfI7FlLw">said</a> in a press conference Wednesday evening. “So today is about beginning the transition to recovery so that we can help to bring closure to the families who have been suffering and waiting for news.”
Levine Cava said the official transition to a recovery effort would happen at midnight.
Before the Wednesday announcement, officials had been forced to pause the search and rescue efforts due to safety concerns, once because they feared the rubble was too unstable. More recently, crews were moved out of the way so that what remained of the 12-story building could be demolished, a move officials hoped would give them access to specific pockets of rubble where they’d find others. However, no one was found alive.
&#8220;Crews worked under arduous conditions, through rain, smoke, fire and even imminent danger of a secondary collapse,&#8221; said Miami-Dade Fire Chief Alan Cominsky, who praised first responders and emergency crews for their actions.
The mayor of Surfside said that while the chances of finding anyone alive were near zero, he had not lost hope that a miracle could still happen.
As The Daily Wire previously reported, one of the few signs of life came on the same day of the collapse, when rescuers received reports of a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/she-was-asking-for-help-rescuers-spoke-to-woman-trapped-in-condo-rubble-couldnt-reach-her">woman shouting</a> from a lower level.
The woman, who was trapped inside the caved-in garage, told rescuers, “I’m here, get me out. Get me out,” according to a rescue worker who spoke to <a href="https://www.local10.com/news/local/2021/06/30/rescuers-spoke-to-woman-trapped-in-surfside-collapse-but-she-didnt-make-it/">Local News 10</a> on the condition of anonymity, reported the news agency last week.
But with a wall of concrete and metal blocking their way, rescuers were unable to reach her in time. “We were continuously talking to her … ‘Honey, we got you. We’re going to get to you,’” said the source. It’s unclear who she was or if she could hear the rescuers.

US-CONSTRUCTION-ACCIDENT-DEMOLITION

‘Exhausted Every Option’: Crews Switching To Recovery Effort As Condo Collapse Death Toll Grows

The vice mayor of Doral, Florida, is calling for a deeper review of the work completed by Rosendo “Ross” Prieto, a former official in the city, after he was connected to the partial collapse of the condominium building in nearby Surfside. 
As <a href="https://www.local10.com/news/local/2021/07/06/doral-vice-mayor-asks-for-review-of-prietos-work-over-link-to-surfside-tragedy/">reported</a> by South Florida outlet WPLG Local 10, “Vice Mayor Doral Pete Cabrera is asking for ‘a revision of everything having to do’ with Prieto and he is calling a special council meeting to ask for a review of ‘everything that has passed through the hands’ of CAP Government, Inc., formerly CAP Engineering Consultants.”
“My duty as an elected official is to protect the residents of Doral, and it would be irresponsible of me not to verify any project that has passed through the hands of this ex-employee in our city,” Cabrera said in a press release. “We need to avoid any tragedy that could happen to our residents because of the irresponsibility of any official.”
As the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/fl-state-wire-e0e466016f05af8c2a28fc0e25a70fe6">Associated Press</a> reported, C.A.P. Government Inc., “provides building services” for Doral and other governments. Its <a href="http://capfla.com/who-we-are/">website</a> described it as a company that “specializes in providing building department services exclusively to government clients.” 
“The CAP team is dedicated to providing services that not only help manage workflow and enhance the user experience but also safeguard community assets,” it added.  
Doral officials reportedly said that Prieto, 54, worked for C.A.P. and used to be the head building official for Surfside. He allegedly did not tell the Champlain Towers South Condominium Association about the dangerous condition of the building even after an engineer said it had massive structural issues. 
According to the minutes of a 2018 meeting of the Champlain Towers South board released last month, Prieto was quoted as saying that the building was in “very good shape.” As <a href="https://apnews.com/article/surfside-building-collapse-0628-9a3a70c091aa4fd4e688dae2601c64b1">reported</a> by the AP, “That was just over a month after engineering firm Morabito Consultants issued a report describing key flaws in the structure.”
A day after the meeting, Prieto reportedly informed the then-town manager of Surfside at the time that he thought the meeting was successful and gave Champlain Towers credit for getting an early start on the recertification procedures.
“The response was very positive from everyone in the room,” Prieto wrote in an email, also released by officials for the town. “All the main concerns over their forty-year recertification process were addressed.”
WPLG reported, &#8220;Prieto joined Surfside in 2013 and left in November. He started working in Doral in May as the interim building official. Edie Ousley, a spokeswoman for CAP Government, said Tuesday afternoon, Prieto only worked in Doral for roughly 30 days and was on a leave of absence.&#8221;
“He was actually out for a rather lengthy period of time,” Ousley <a href="https://www.local10.com/news/local/2021/07/06/doral-vice-mayor-asks-for-review-of-prietos-work-over-link-to-surfside-tragedy/">said</a>, noting that Prieto’s work in Doral was limited to him looking over five permit applications. “He did not personally issue any permits.”
Ousley said that the city has already completed a review of work done by Prieto, but Vice Mayor Cabrera wants more to be done and was “awaiting a response from the city manager Tuesday afternoon,” per WPLG.
“It would be irresponsible of me not to verify any project that has passed through the hands of this ex-employee in our city,” Cabrera said in a statement.
On June 24th, the Champlain Towers South condominium building tragically partially collapsed in Surfside, Florida. On Wednesday, officials <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/07/07/florida-condo-collapse-surfside-deathtoll/">announced</a> that 10 more victims had been found in the collapsed rubble, which brought the confirmed death toll to 46 people.

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South Florida Official Demands Review Of Consultant Who Said Collapsed Miami Condo Was In ‘Very Good Shape’ In 2018

A woman who wanted to save a pet still believed to be trapped in what remained of the collapsed Florida condo building was denied her request by a judge on Sunday, just minutes before the condo was demolished.
The Miami Herald <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/miami-beach/article252574248.html">reported</a> that Paula Phillips, an attorney representing paralegal and animal rescue volunteer Stacey Karron, filed an emergency petition to save a stranded pet around 9:30 p.m. The request was denied and the building was demolished not long after.
The motion absolved anyone of any liability should Karron hurt herself while searching for pets who were still trapped in the crumbling condo building. While it the name of the pet was not mentioned during the hearing or the motion, the New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/07/05/womans-bid-to-save-pet-rejected-before-remaining-condo-razed/">identified</a> it as possibly a cat named Coco.
While pet owners may be horrified to learn Karron’s motion was denied, presumably sentencing Coco to death, but there is hope the feline escaped. Miami-Dade County Attorney Dave Murray argued against Karron’s motion, saying “This is not a case where the county has sat on their hands.”
From the Post:
<blockquote>He said that at the time of the hearing, the building was loaded with explosives — and in order for Karron to go back in rescue workers would have had to further risk their lives by checking on the charges.
Murray added that the county had made several efforts to rescue any surviving animals since the June 24 collapse, the paper reported.
Meanwhile, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said that no animals were found as rescuers searched the remaining building using animal life traps and thermal technology.</blockquote>
Karron’s attorney had argued that her client knew the risks of returning to the building.
“They understand the risk. They understand the building can come down at any time,” Phillips argued.
The Post reported that firefighters had attempted to rescue the cat, Coco, previously, and left food and water for the cat when they could not rescue her.
As Judge Michael Hanzman noted while denying Karron’s emergency motion, authorities on the ground had attempted to rescue people and animals from the crumbling structure.
“Despite these Herculean efforts and the tireless, daunting work that has been done, there is going to be loss of life here,” Hanzman said. “Loss of human life and animal life.”
The fear that a beloved pet may still be in a building set for destruction is understandable, and Karron was joined by other pet owners on Sunday who wanted to delay the demolition until any animals remaining in the condo were rescued, the Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/07/04/pet-owners-seek-to-delay-demolition-of-florida-condo-tower/">reported</a>.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava responded to those concerned about their pets.
“I want to be clear that search and rescue conducted three separate searches, a primary, a secondary and a tertiary. And, they found no animals. I was informed this morning that they did a sweep with cameras and found no animals at this time,” Levine Cava said. “I’ve also been in touch with the contractor and provided locations of animals that were given to me who might be in the building.”
“They are aware and doing everything they might do just to make an additional search,” she added, referring to rescue workers. “But I want to be very clear that they would not be doing that on-site because they are not going to be able to go into those units.”

A Woman Wanted To Save A Pet Before Surfside Condo Was Demolished. Her Request Was Denied, But Rescue Attempts Were Already Made.

A truism often <a href="http://quotationize.com/adversity-introduces-man-mean/">misattributed</a> to Albert Einstein or H.L. Mencken says, &#8220;Adversity introduces a man to himself.&#8221; When that individual holds a position of responsibility, adversity also introduces that person to the broader public. The collapse of the condominium in Surfside, Florida, unintentionally reveals how susceptible President Joe Biden is to baseless media talking points, and how independent-minded Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is.
The number of victims killed by the June 24 collapse of a condominium in Surfside, Florida, <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/miami-beach/article252553998.html">climbed to 24</a> on Saturday, as searchers continue to seek 124 missing persons. As the nation continues to mourn the rising death toll, the media successfully introduced the notion that a “climate crisis” triggered the disaster to the highest levels of political power.
In nationally <a href="https://youtu.be/MXcHKXIxRnA?t=1644">televised</a> <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/07/01/remarks-by-president-biden-on-the-surfside-condo-collapse/">remarks</a> on Thursday, President Joe Biden raised the possibility that climate change had a hand in the condo collapse:
<blockquote>There are all kinds of discussions about whether or not they thought that water level rising — what impact it had. And interesting to me — I didn’t raise it — but how many of the survivors and how many of the families talked about the impact of global warming. How much — and they didn’t know exactly, but they talked about sea levels rising and about how — how there were — and, and the combination of that and the concern about incoming storm, incoming tropical storms.</blockquote>
<iframe loading="lazy" title="LIVE: Biden Delivers Remarks in Surfside, Florida After Meeting Victims&#039; Families" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MXcHKXIxRnA?start=1644&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Biden somewhat qualified the suggestion — which came moments after he visited the site of the wreckage and comforted the survivors and their family members. “I don’t think there is, at this point, any definitive judgment as to why it collapsed, and what [could have been] done to prevent it from happening,” he concluded.
His remarks meant that the media had likely injected the idea that climate change caused the devastating building collapse into the national conversation. Although a <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/sea-level-rise-due-to-climate-change-eyed-as-contributing-factor-in-miami-building-collapse-172145539.html">few</a> news outlets <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/06/25/rising-sea-levels-condo-collapse/">raised</a> the issue first, it got its largest audience on Tuesday, as CNN ran a chyron asking, “Could Climate Crisis Have Contributed to Building Collapse?” CNN anchor Erica Hill <a href="https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1409880318576898064">asked</a> Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm if the structural implosion of concrete should be blamed on chlorofluorocarbons.
“Given what we know about the changing climate, given that you&#8217;ve seen an increase in so called extraordinary tides, and the impact that that can have in areas like south Florida, do you think that climate would have played a role in that building&#8217;s collapse?” Hill inquired.
Granholm <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/cnn-guest-refuses-to-take-the-bait-contradicts-don-lemon-on-slavery">took the bait</a>, replying, “Obviously, we don’t know fully, but we do know that the seas are rising. We know that we’re losing inches and inches of beaches, not just in Florida, but all around.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Joe Biden’s Energy Secretary: “We don’t know fully” if climate change played a role in the Surfside building collapse: <a href="https://t.co/S87uPM8pVK">pic.twitter.com/S87uPM8pVK</a>
&mdash; Townhall.com (@townhallcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1409880318576898064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 29, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Although viewers described CNN’s linkage of tragedy with the Biden administration’s political agenda as “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bidens-energy-secretary-blasted-for-ghoulish-suggestion-that-climate-change-may-have-played-role-in-condo-collapse">ghoulish</a>,” that did not rein in the legacy media from fueling the narrative with more unproven assertions. Time magazine <a href="https://time.com/6077696/surfside-collapse-miami-climate-risks/">claimed</a>, “The Surfside Collapse Is Renewing Focus on Climate Change Risks.” Rolling Stone detailed the tragic building collapse under the <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/miami-beach-building-collapse-climate-change-1191989/">headline</a>, “Miami’s Climate Dystopia Gets Real” and informed readers, “South Florida’s real estate is only going to get more deadly if we continue to ignore all the warning signs of a doomed coastline.” The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/surfside-condo-climate-change-cost/2021/07/01/b6699a98-da76-11eb-9bbb-37c30dcf9363_story.html">wrote</a> of “the unprecedented infrastructure challenges that climate change poses” nationwide.
Finally, Erica Hill put her talking points into the mouth of the President of the United States. Curiously, the misinformation&#8217;s trajectory did not garner coverage among Hill&#8217;s fellow reporters. The same media could scarcely stop themselves from claiming that his predecessor, President Donald Trump, constantly rehashed Fox News headlines. CNN&#8217;s &#8220;Reliable Sources&#8221; ran an article, <a href="https://money.cnn.com/2018/04/22/media/president-trump-fox-news/index.html">titled</a> &#8220;Watch President Trump repeat Fox News talking points.&#8221; POLITICO gave Matthew Gertz of Media Matters a platform to <a href="https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/01/05/trump-media-feedback-loop-216248/">declare</a>, &#8220;I’ve Studied the Trump-Fox Feedback Loop for Months. It’s Crazier Than You Think.&#8221; Newsweek posted a compilation <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/trump-fox-and-friends-influence-video-twitter-tweets-fox-news-1274231">purportedly</a> showing &#8220;30 Times Trump Repeated &#8216;Fox &amp; Friends&#8217; Talking Points in 2018.&#8221;
But when Biden recycles assertions that his own energy secretary could not &#8220;fully&#8221; endorse, there is no media coverage. CNN has no interest in alerting viewers where Biden&#8217;s self-serving comments originated; they just want him to keep repeating them.
Compare his performance to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has served as the voice of reason during this time. DeSantis pushed back against attempts to politicize the tragedy, as well as all efforts to jump to a conclusion before the rubble is cleared.
DeSantis replied to an inquiry about whether climate change poses a “viable” explanation for the Surfside deaths by saying, “I don’t think there’s any evidence of that.”
“What we&#8217;re not going to do is use this to advance any pre-existing agenda,” Governor DeSantis <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHRCvob3Pfc&amp;t=288s">told</a> Fox News host Martha McCallum on Wednesday.
“We want the facts. We want the truth, and we want to know what needs to be done to be able to protect other folks that may be living in other types of buildings,” he said.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Ron DeSantis gives update on Miami condo collapse" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mHRCvob3Pfc?start=288&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The president and the governor shared a moment of political and personal decency, as each complimented the other&#8217;s full support for the victims in Surfside. DeSantis could easily grandstand or prematurely point fingers at some aspect of the federal government&#8217;s response. Instead, he concentrated on finding the survivors, clearing the rubble, and comforting the survivors &#8230; and he left calculations about political advantage out of the conversation.
That&#8217;s the heart of someone who seeks to serve his constituents, not have their tragedy serve his political aims.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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