By Curt Anderson
Associated Press
The owners of the apartments in the building that collapsed last year in Surfside, Florida, will split $83 million for property losses, while compensation for the families of the 98 who died is yet to be determined, a judge ruled Wednesday.
The money for the owners of the 136-unit Champlain Towers South building comes from the sale of the now-empty waterfront lot as well as insurance policies, authorities announced.
[Surfside Collapse Exposes a Threat Authorities Ignore: Salt Water Rising from the Ground]
Unless they opt out, homeowners who accept the settlement will give up their rights to individually pursue lawsuits, but may also prevent an assessment of what they lost.
“It gives them security.
These people need certainty and they need to move on,” explained Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman before approving the settlement at a hearing.
“Maybe it's not 100% of the value, but it's pretty close.
I think it's an exceptional result,” he added.
They insist on the construction of a monument on the ruins of the collapsed building in Miami
Oct. 26, 202101:42
The Champlain Towers South, a 12-story condominium in Surfside, collapsed on June 24.
The settlement is the result of a lawsuit alleging that construction work on an adjacent luxury condominium building, known as Eighty Seven Park, damaged and destabilized the aging building that was already in need of major structural repair.
The defendants associated with Eighty Seven Park deny any negligence or wrongdoing.
The cause of the collapse remains unclear
, although the building was in the midst of its 40-year inspection and engineers had previously pointed out some serious structural flaws.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology is the lead agency in an investigation that could last for many months.
Under the deal reached Wednesday, each homeowner will receive a share based on the value of their apartment in the condominium and any personal belongings they lost.
[A law repealed a decade ago may have sped up the repair of the Surfside building, experts say]
The settlement does not include money from wrongful death claims that arose from the 98 fatalities.
This part will be resolved later after the assessment of experts appointed by the court.
"We have 98 people who lost their lives and we need to keep perspective," Judge Hanzman recalled.
Search and rescue personnel working on the scene after the partial collapse of the South Champlain Towers in Surfside, north of Miami Beach, on June 24, 2021. Chandan Khanna / AFP via Getty Images
Some relatives of the deceased questioned why the owners would receive compensation first.
“The loss of life is extremely more valuable than the loss of property.
We think it's completely unfair," said Martin Langesfeld, whose sister and brother-in-law were killed.
However, Alfredo López, who survived the collapse with his family, said the deal does not compensate homeowners for the true value of their apartments.
[An Argentine architect explains the possible causes of the collapse in Surfside]
“We are victim survivors.
We are going to receive a fraction of what our houses were worth,” said López.
According to the lawyers, the Surfside land where the building was located will be auctioned in the coming weeks.
An offer of about $120 million has been on the table for months, but more is likely to come as the auction gets closer.
[“Can someone help me out, please?” The first calls to 911 come to light after the collapse of the building in Miami]
Hanzman said the deal approved Wednesday is contingent on the sale of the land.
The sale may be for a larger amount.
The city of Surfside, for its part, is creating committees led by the families of Champlain Towers South to organize an anniversary tribute next June and study how to build a permanent memorial to the victims who died.