Town of Surfside commissioners have given final approval to a permanent memorial dedicated to the 98 victims of the 2021 Champlain Towers South collapse, clearing the way for construction to begin soon, town officials announced Thursday.
“For five years, this community has carried the weight of remembering 98 friends and neighbors without a permanent place to do so,” Mayor Shlomo Danzinger said in a statement. “This memorial gives us that place. It is tasteful, it is dignified, and it was shaped by the very people who loved them most.”
The decision was made during an Aug. 6 special commission meeting.
The 12-story condo building collapsed into a huge pile of rubble at 1:22 a.m. on June 24, 2021, killing 98 people.
Federal investigators reported in June that two connections between garage columns and the pool deck started to fail weeks before the building crumbled to the ground.
The memorial will feature an image of hands symbolizing love, family, and continuity. The commission also voted to remove planned concrete slabs and rebar from the park floor over safety concerns and emotional distress to families and residents.
Incorporated into the design near the Collins Avenue entrance are the 13 Pillars of Light, which embed rebar and debris from the original building inside the columns to create a tangible connection to the site.
READ MORE: ‘They were family’: Surfside marks grim 5-year milestone of Champlain Towers collapse in Surfside
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