Editorial: Condo horror must never be repeated
Miami Herald
We have no idea yet if the “major error” discovered in the construction of the Champlain Towers South condominium contributed to the building’s partial collapse Thursday morning. We do know, however, that an engineer’s 2018 disclosure, this crumpled building and the deaths of its residents must be the catalyst for changes that ensure this never happens again.
In addition to the immediate, on-the-ground investigations, this tragedy also calls for a Miami-Dade grand jury investigation. Grand juries can decide to investigate matters of great public concern, and they routinely issue reports on broad topics. In Miami-Dade, that has included reports on the health of Biscayne Bay, in 2018, and the preparation for Hurricane Irma, in 2017. A Miami-Dade grand jury in 2018 even tackled condo owners’ complaints, issuing a list of recommended legislation. If ever there were an issue of public concern, the collapse of Cha
147 People Remain Missing Nearly a Week After Florida Condo Collapse
SURFSIDE, Fla.–Six more bodies have been found in the shattered ruins of a Miami-area condominium tower over the past 24 hours, officials said on Wednesday, bringing the confirmed death toll to 18 nearly a week after the building collapsed.
Nobody has been pulled alive from the mounds of pulverized concrete, splintered lumber and twisted metal since the early hours of the disaster in the oceanfront town of Surfside, Florida, adjacent to Miami Beach.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told a news conference that 147 people remained missing and were feared trapped in the ruins of the Champlain Towers South condo. She said two of the 18 confirmed fatalities were children, aged 10 and 4.
Miami-Dade State Attorney
Katherine Fernandez Rundle said that she is planning to convene a grand jury to investigate last week s partial collapse of Champlain Towers South near Miami Beach. My office has a long tradition of presenting more than just criminal cases to the Grand Jury, Rundle said in a statement. Our Grand Juries have also served as a cross-section of the community to evaluate matters of health and public safety. I plan to request that our Grand Jury look at what steps we can take to safeguard our residents without jeopardizing any scientific, public safety, or potential criminal investigations, the statement continued.
Death toll in Florida building collapse rises to 12 with 149 missing 30 Jun 2021 / 08:49 H. Photos and flowers hang in a fence at a memorial site created by neighbors in front of a partially collapsed residential building as the emergency crews continue search and rescue operations for survivors, in Surfside, near Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. June 29, 2021. – Reuters
SURFSIDE, FLORIDA: Another body was recovered on Tuesday from the ruins of a Florida condominium tower, the mayor said, raising the death toll in the collapse to at least 12 with 149 people still listed as missing.
The latest casualty of the disaster, which could ultimately rank as the worst accidental building collapse in U.S. history, was not immediately identified by Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava during an afternoon news conference.