Commissioners reject controversial swap proposal for Florida condo collapse site
Nearly two months after a 12-story condo partially collapsed in South Florida, killing almost 100 people, local officials and the families of the victims can’t agree on what to do with the property.
On Tuesday, commissioners in the town of Surfside rejected a controversial proposal to give the eventual buyer of the property a beachfront plot of land in exchange for the collapse site — where family members hoped would be used for a memorial honoring the 98 victims.
The key problem with the proposal is that the property considered for the swap is the site of a community center. Supporters of the plan suggested tearing down the facility and building a new one, along with a memorial, at the site where the Champlain Towers South stood for 40 years.
Following a heated public hearing attended by many upset family members, commissioners announced they would not consider the proposal and would not ask voters to weigh in through a referendum.
“My heart breaks for you because I know this is something that you were getting your hopes up about,” Mayor Charles Burkett, the lone supporter of the land swap, told the audience. “I hope you will not give up hope.”
Ahead of the meeting, Commissioner Nelly Velasquez and other opponents of the proposal had urged people to speak out against it.
“This is the moment we come together as a community to defend our community center and all town-owned properties,” she said in a social media post.
The community center was built 10 years ago and features an oceanfront pool and waterslide.
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This is not the first controversy stemming from the June 24 disaster. A class-action lawsuit has been filed against the condo association, with numerous survivors and victim’s families blaming the group for failing to conduct crucial repairs in the building and protect residents.
The cause of the collapse is still under investigation, but evidence that has emerged so far suggests the waterfront condo of about 130 units had major structural problems and was in urgent need of repairs. The tower was undergoing a mandatory 40-year inspection when it crashed to the ground in the middle of the night.
A potential buyer has since offered $120 million for the property.
Tuesday’s hearing was so contentious that deliberations were occasionally interrupted by upset family members, the Miami Herald reported. One of them yelled, “Let the people vote!” at one point.
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David Rodan, who has lost his brother and three cousins in the collapse, said the commission should not be deciding the future of the property on its own.
“It shouldn’t be their decision, it should be the residents’ decision,” he told the Herald. “They’re afraid because they know that the residents want to do the right thing, they want to look back in history and see a memorial where it should be instead of a building.
“The community wants to see a memorial there and if the land swap is the only option, the community is willing to move their community center five blocks,” he said.
The panel ultimately agreed to explore other options to honor the victims.
With News Wire Services
