Surfside, Miami-Dade ‘take no chances’ after still-dangerous relationship collapses

SURFSIDE, Florida – Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett visited the site of the Champaign Towers South collapse on Friday, along with representatives from Miami-Dade County, the police department and the state attorney’s office.

“We are not in the business of taking risks,” he said.

It came a day after Local 10 News exclusively reported structural engineer Allyn Kilsheimer’s serious concerns about the foundation walls and safety of Collins Avenue.

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava also released a statement Friday saying the county will take the concerns raised by the expert hired by Surfside “extremely seriously.”

“That is why we immediately decided to contract a company that will handle the shoring and bracing of the walls to mitigate any possible risk,” his statement said. “We are also reassessing the Collins Avenue opening schedule until we are satisfied that all necessary steps have been taken to ensure public safety.”

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With 63 years of experience, Kilsheimer was hired by the Town of Surfside to find out why the condominium suddenly collapsed on June 24. He now says there is a safety issue with the site where millions of pounds of debris were removed, and also along Collins Avenue.

This could mean that anyone walking even near the site could be in danger, he said.

“If this wasn’t fixed and the street was totally open and traffic wasn’t restricted and you were walking on the sidewalk, I would go across the street,” Kilsheimer told Local. 10 News Thursday.

He wrote a letter to the Surfside city manager, his police chief and Levine Cava outlining his concerns.

“We believe there is a potentially dangerous situation at the site where the wall is at risk of collapsing,” Kilsheimer wrote. “It basically acts like a bathtub, which it wasn’t designed for. When the outdoor ground is saturated with rainwater, the situation worsens.

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[ALSO SEE: Surfside crews saluted as condo collapse recovery mission ends]