Surfside Condo Collapse

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.

A Florida Senate committee backed a proposal that would make changes to Florida's condominium-safety laws.

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.

In the last South Florida Roundup of 2022, we spoke to WLRN reporters about the most topical issues of the year and how we can expect to see them play out in the new year: education and news in Broward; affordable housing and Miami-Dade's push for demolitions (19:29); more fallout from the Surfside disaster (38:12).

Aging buildings across the city are increasingly being given demolition orders, a WLRN investigation finds. Among these are some of the last bastions of affordable housing. Some compare the new demolition policy to a totalitarian government — while others also point out the city's coffers could stand to benefit from it.

Residents of the 14-story building were forced to evacuate Thursday evening after officials determined the structure was unsafe and gave orders to leave.

Surfside Mayor Shlomo Danzinger hosted a meeting for representatives from DAMAC Properties and people whose loved ones died when the Champlain Towers South building fell. He said it would have been nice to build a park on the former building site, but a judge ordered that it be sold. Developers say a memorial would cut too far into the buildable portion of the property.

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman said the full $100 million in legal fees requested was too much. “No one should be profiting from the death of 98 humans,” said Marin Langerfeld, who lost two relatives in the collapse.

Hundreds of claims on the more than $1 billion settlement from the Champlain Towers South litigation have been tossed out as phony.

A year ago this past Friday, the Champlain Towers South condominium collapsed in Surfside. Many first responders who searched for weeks to find victims are still struggling with what they saw, smelled and heard.

A ceremony marked one year since the Champlain Towers collapse. The reversal of Roe vs. Wade has people wondering how abortion access will look like in Florida. And, how has inflation and increasing costs affected South Florida’s communities?

Colombia has its first left-wing president. It’s been one year since the tragic condo collapse in Surfside. We’re hearing from locals about the healing process. Plus, for Wildlife Thursday, we’re going to look at one of the most beloved species in the state — the Florida panther.