Surfside tragedy: suspects arrested for stealing identities of landslide victims

Police reported the arrest of several suspected of having stolen the identity of people who they died in the landslide of the Champlain Towers South condo in Miami in June.

The Miami-Dade prosecution said that will provide more details on the arrests at a press conference in the next few hours. Officers from various police and security forces are expected at the conference.

The beachfront residential apartment building in Surfside collapsed in the early morning of June 24, and 98 people died.

Researchers still trying to determine the cause of the collapse of the building constructed 40 years earlier. Serious structural defects have been reported. The debris was taken to a warehouse near Miami International Airport for analysis.

The uncertain future of the empty land where the tower collapsed

More than two months have passed since the collapse of the Tour Champlain Sud. Survivors and families of victims must resolve what will happen to lost properties, some of them no longer having a roof over their heads to live there.

Losses due to building collapse estimated at $ 1 billion. With a faulty insurance policy, the building will hopefully receive $ 50 million. Many plan to increase the amount of money available for distribution if the land that is now vacant can be sold.

In the area, there is permission to build a 12-story tower, as it existed. A real estate company, Avison Young, offered to sell the lot without taking any commission on the sale. Without waiting, already they published the land as available for purchase. According to the company page, in the next 60-90 days there will be a live auction where the land can be acquired.

Early August, an anonymous investor offered $ 120 million for the land. This figure will be used as the basis for the auction. The site’s listing for the land describes it as “a 1.88 acre beachfront property with approximately 200 feet of direct beach access on Collins Avenue.”

The judge of property, the magistrate Michael hanzman, authorized Avison Young to hold the auction, if they all agree to it being sold for further development.

A memorial for the victims at the scene of the tragedy

Problem is, the judge is considering various plans that have been approached that don’t all include this sale. Another option would be to do a land swap, leaving that land to the Municipality of Surfside, and taking in exchange a property two blocks north., on the same Collins Avenue with access to the beach, where the town’s community center is currently located.

In this way, the land where tragedy happened it would remain to make a monument in honor of the victims and build a new community center.

Some survivors and relatives of the victims would agree with this proposal. At the last community meeting last Tuesday, a dozen survivors and their families spoke out in favor of leaving the grounds where the tower stood for the memorial, rather than paying homage elsewhere. Corn within the surfside commission there would be resistance. At least three of the five members of the commission would not consider it.

Although the judge said he would consider the option of a land swap as a valid path, without the support of the commissioners, it will have little future. The judge assigned an assistant to study the proposal but confirmed that Ultimately, the final decision will be made by the authorities of the Town of Surfside.

At first, there was speculation that Miami-Dade County would buy the land to make it a memorial to the victims. However, Mayor Daniella Levina Cava has already confirmed that this will not happen.

(With AP information)

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