Surfside leaders reject land-swap proposal to build memorial on collapse site
The Surfside commission on Tuesday rejected a proposal to build a memorial to the victims of the Surfside condo collapse by trading public land to the eventual buyer of the property where Champlain Towers South fell.
Dozens of family members of those who died in the collapse and Surfside residents opposed to the plan packed the town’s commission chambers during an emotional and sometimes contentious meeting. An overflow room was set up downstairs.
Surfside commissioners heard more than an hour of public comment before telling the families they would not consider the land swap, which would involve tearing down the town’s community center and building a new one at the collapse site, along with a memorial. Commissioners did not vote but made their positions clear.
“My heart breaks for you because I know this is something that you were getting your hopes up about,” Mayor Charles Burkett, who was the lone supporter of the proposal, said. “I hope you will not give up hope.”
The commission, which was frequently interrupted by interjections from upset family members, settled on exploring alternative options to build a memorial either on the collapse site, in the sliver of the land where part of the tower fell, nearby on 88th Street or farther away at Veterans Park.
The families who proposed the land swap said they were disappointed in the decision, which they believe should be put to the town’s voters.
“It shouldn’t be their decision, it should be the residents’ decision,” said David Rodan, whose brother and three cousins died in the collapse. “They’re afraid because they know that the residents want to do the right thing, they want to look back in history and see a memorial where it should be instead of a building.”
David Rodan, whose brother and three cousins died in the collapse, said he and other families who proposed the land swap would not reconsider the idea. He said his group will survey the town’s 6,000 residents.
Raquel Oliveira, whose husband and 5-year-old son died in the collapse, asked that the commission help families find a path forward build a memorial.
“Maybe the swap is not the best option or maybe it is,” she said. “What I ask is that we have a little bit of time to take the right decision.”
Commissioners said they would work with the families to raise money for the memorial, perhaps from the county, state or federal government.
“I will do what we can to make that happen,” Commissioner Eliana Salzhauer said. “But we cannot take the town’s land. We are not going to swap the community center. That is not an option.”
Other nearby properties have been floated as the site of a memorial for the victims of the collapse, which killed 98 people on June 24. But the land-swap plan has the support of the Miami-Dade judge overseeing the class-action lawsuit stemming from the collapse. He said it would allow for the victims to be compensated through a property sale while allowing for a memorial to be built on the collapse site.
An offer of $120 million for the Champlain Towers South property is on the table.
Sofia Kaufmann, whose parents died in the collapse, said she supports the land swap because asking a developer to build a memorial and a new high-rise on the site of a collapse would lessen the value of the land, meaning victims would be compensated less.
“The swap would really be a win-win for everybody,” she said before Tuesday’s meeting.
VICTIMS’ FAMILIES, SURFSIDE LEADERS RALLY SUPPORTERS
Carlos Wainberg, whose brother-in-law and cousins died in the collapse, likened the families’ fight to that of 9/11 families who fought to build a memorial at Ground Zero. He said the a community center could be built with upgraded facilities and more parking, and that private donations could be solicited to pay for the design and construction.
“We’re gonna do everything in our power to try to stop the sale of this land before the Surfside residents actually get the chance to make a decision about what’s supposed to go on that land,” he said.
Ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, Salzhauer and another commissioner, Nelly Velasquez, asked residents on the socialmedia site NextDoor to speak up at the meeting after receiving emails from residents opposing the deal.
“This is the moment we come together as a community to defend our community center and all town-owned properties,” Velasquez wrote. ”Please, I urge everyone to dedicate Tuesday night to defend what we all love and cherish. United we are strong!”
Salzhauer wrote in another post that the town “will NOT allow this tragedy to be exploited for profit and become the undoing or Surfside’s priceless community center and our residents’ quality of life.”
Wainberg called Salzhauer’s comments “disto gusting” and said she was spreading lies and conspiracy theories to convince Surfside residents to oppose the land swap.
“She is still insisting that the idea came from developers and they are using us as a Trojan horse,” Wainberg wrote in a text message. “Truly disgusting coming from a city official to use [these] lies to try and convince the residents of her town to support the wrong cause without even taking the time to hear us out.”
Mauricio Kaufmann, the
brother of Sofia Kaufmann, said he came up with the land-swap proposal without any developer’s help.
Martin Langesfeld, whose sister and brotherin-law died, said Surfside leaders should respect and help honor the victims while compensating the families.
“We understand the community center is a memorable place, and that is the reason why we are asking to rebuild the community center however the city desires, along with a memorial to honor the 98 people who died in Surfside,” he said in a statement. “Approving this land swap will not only honor the lives of all those who died, but will also compensate the victims.”