Miami-Dade Mayor Levine Cava and State Attorney Kathy Fernandez Rundle (Getty)
UPDATED, June 29, 10:40 p.m.: State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle will empanel a grand jury investigation to determine the cause of the fatal condo collapse in Surfside, as President Joe Biden plans a visit to the site.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced on Tuesday that Fernandez Rundle will ask a grand jury to look into the partial Champlain Towers South collapse. Separately, she said that Biden will be meeting with families of victims and first responders during his visit on Thursday.
The grand jury move comes amid increased scrutiny over the condo association’s and Surfside’s actions tied to the building’s 40-year recertification, as well as damning reports and emails citing crucial repairs the 12-story building needed prior to the collapse.
Condo board boss warned of worsening damage before collapse
Weeks before a Florida condo building collapsed, the president of its board wrote that structural problems identified in a 2018 inspection had âgotten significantly worseâ and owners needed to pay a hefty price to get them fixed.
The April 9 âDear Neighborsâ letter from Champlain Towers South Condominium President Jean Wodnicki hinted at an ongoing debate over the repairs and a reluctance by some condo owners to pay for major work that would cost at least $15.5 million.
âA lot of this work could have been done or planned for in years gone by. But this is where we are now,â she wrote in the letter, which was confirmed to The Associated Press by a spokesman for the condo board.
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Death toll in Florida condo building collapse rises to 12
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THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
SURFSIDE, Florida (AP) – Elected officials pledged Tuesday to conduct multiple investigations into the collapse of an oceanfront Florida condo tower, vowing to convene a grand jury and to look closely “at every possible angle” to prevent any other building from experiencing such a catastrophic failure.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said she and her staff will meet with engineering, construction and geology experts, among others, to review building safety issues and develop recommendations “to ensure a tragedy like this will never, ever happen again.”
State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said she will pursue a grand jury investigation to examine factors and decisions that led to Thursday’s collapse of the 12-story Champlain Towers South in Surfside. The disaster killed at least 11 people and left 150 unaccounted for.
Even as officials looked to the future to determine the cause of the collapse, they were resolute in vowing to continue the effort to find survivors.
On the sixth day of a painstaking search, Gov. Ron DeSantis evoked a well-known military commitment to leave no one behind on the battlefield and pledged to do the same for the people still missing in the rubble.