Surfside

Over 100 people gathered for the 4th annual Surfside remembrance ceremony in honor of the 98 lives that were lost when the condominium, Champlain Towers South, suddenly collapsed. Survivors and loved ones of those lost spoke about their grief and frustrations surrounding the tragedy.

The Town of Surfside is holding a series of memorial events on Tuesday to mark the four years since the 12-story Champlain Towers South condominium building collapsed, killing 98 people. The day is scheduled to begin with a “Lighting of the Torch Ceremony” at 1:15 a.m. at Veterans Park in partnership with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.

Since the collapse, the state has enacted reforms to make condo buildings safer. But Rep. Vicki Lopez said people looking to buy a condo should probably hold off for a while.

Voters in Hialeah, Homestead, Miami and Miami Beach went to the polls Tuesday with a slate of municipal candidates to choose from. In Surfside, voters chose among five charter amendments.

The majority of Surfside commissioners voted not to censure Mayor Shlomo Danzinger for making racial insults and sexist remarks directed at Commissioner Nelly Velasquez.

Two years ago, 98 people died with the Champlain Towers South condo building partially collapsed. Federal investigators have been looking into the flaws in the building's pool deck.

Federal officials say the swimming pool deck of the Champlain Towers South condo that collapsed two years ago failed to comply with original building codes and standards.

Investigators with the National Institute of Standards and Technology will begin testing concrete cores and reinforcing steel in a search for answers from the Champlain Towers South condo collapse.

The bill (SB 154) targeting 'milestone inspections' has been designed, at least in part, to address concerns that emerged as condominium associations started to carry out the law approved after the Surfside condo collapse.

The City of Miami took ownership of the building in 2005 and planned to demolish it to the ground, until activists convinced the city to back off. Some fear it could be happening again.

The Florida Building Commission says there is no reason they see to treat coastal and inland buildings differently. That was a key idea behind the post-Surfside law that passed in 2022.

Surfside commissioners had a surprise during a regularly scheduled meeting this week: They learned that the town manager, Andy Hyatt, resigned earlier that day. Chief of Police Rogelio Torres and Assistant Town Manager Jason Greene followed suit.