Long road to healing: Surfside marks two years since devastating condo collapse
Martin Langesfeld said his older sister Nicky’s “happy place” was the beach. That’s why she moved to a beachfront condo in Surfside.
This weekend, he and his family will go to the beach in her memory. The Langesfelds will commemorate the two-year anniversary of the Champlain Towers South collapse along with the families and loved ones of the nearly 100 people who died.
Nicky Langesfeld was 26, an attorney who loved animals and someone who her brother “looked up to in everything.” She and her husband Luis Sadovnic both died when their portion of the condominium building collapsed at 1:22 a.m., June 24, 2021.
The town will gather to remember the lives lost at the Surfside Remembrance Event at Veterans Park across the street from the Champlain Towers South site on Saturday at 10 a.m.
Vice Mayor Jeffrey Rose will lead the memorial, which will feature speeches from local officials, victims’ family members and religious leaders, said Hector Gomez, Surfside’s town manager.
“The idea is to create the situation where people could come unite and reflect,” said Gomez.
A smaller gathering will commemorate the exact moment of the collapse, said Gomez. Friends and family will gather to light a torch at 1:22 a.m. Saturday to mark when a large portion of the building collapsed. It will burn for about a month, signifying the length of the search and rescue operation, he said.
Gomez said he expects Surfside to host smaller remembrances for the collapse in years to come. He added that the event this year was scaled down from last year’s.
Last year, the memorial took place on the site of the collapse. Gomez said, the lot is now privately owned, and the new owner asked that the event be held elsewhere for liability reasons. Generators and other equipment are present in the fenced-off lot.
DAMAC International, a Dubai-based real estate development firm, now owns the property, and earlier this month, the company submitted a proposal to build condos there.
“As the new owner of the property, we understand its importance to the community and the sensitivities around it, and we recognize the responsibility that comes with ownership,” said Niall McLoughlin, the vice president for communications for DAMAC, in a statement about the two-year anniversary. “We are committed to working with the community and local officials to ensure that the site is treated with the utmost respect as we make plans for its future.”
The Shul of Bal Harbour, which is located blocks from Champlain Towers South, lost members of its congregation in the collapse. Next week, the Shul will remember those who died in the collapse during its Shabbat services.
The Miami skyline will also bear a tribute to the Surfside collapse. The Paramount Miami Worldcenter tower will honor victims and first responders with a 60-story LED light display of a memorial candle this weekend.
Daniel Kodsi, the CEO of Royal Palm Companies, one of the lead developers of Worldcenter, said the tower often displays images for holidays, memorials and other events, and this will be the third time it lights up in honor of the Surfside victims. He added, within 12 hours of the collapse two years ago, he decided the tower would display a tribute.
“It was important for us to put this memorial up to show our support,” said Kodsi. “It’s all part of being part of the community.”
Gomez said he does not know if Surfside will ever completely heal from the collapse but that these events are a part of the process.
“I don’t think you ever truly heal from this. The road to healing will be a long one,” Gomez said. “We will always be there as a resource to people who need it.”
Martin Langesfeld said he does not feel the town has kept that promise. He said in the two years following the collapse, the town has “shut the doors” on the families of victims as they requested a memorial at the site of the collapse and to be part of the decision-making process for the future of the lot.
Langesfeld and his father, Pablo Langesfeld, both said they want accountability and justice. The cause of the collapse is still under investigation, and the Langesfelds said they want answers to ensure this never happens again.
“My baby, my daughter has been ripped away,” Pablo Langesfeld said. “It’s sad that we have to keep pushing for answers.”
