A Developer Is Trying To Sell Condos At Miami Surfside Site Of Deadly Building Collapse. Not One Has Been Bought, Report Says

Five years ago, a massive beachfront condo building adjacent Miami collapsed, marking 1 of nan deadliest structural disasters successful nan nation’s history. Now, a patient seeking to build caller condos astatine nan tract is reportedly moving into issues trading its units.

Champlain Towers South, a 12-story condo building successful Surfside, Florida, collapsed connected June 24, 2021, killing 98 group and injuring respective others. About a twelvemonth later, a Dubai-based institution acquired nan tract for its ain luxury condo tower, pinch units starting astatine $15 million.

But nary units person been purchased since nan institution began nan income process astir 18 months ago, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Martin Langesfeld, whose sister and brother-in-law died successful nan collapse, told nan newspaper: “It’s premier existent estate, but it came astatine nan costs of 98 lives.”

The firm, Damac Properties, described nan upcoming condos arsenic “true mansions successful nan sky, averaging much than 7,000 quadrate feet and supported by much than 55,000 quadrate feet of unparalleled amenities,” according to a 2025 press release.

Construction connected nan task paused successful February, aft nan institution said it hadn’t obtained nan basal security to proceed building, The WSJ reports. A Damac spokesperson told nan newspaper nan tract is “one of nan best” successful Miami, “past unfortunate business notwithstanding.”

“We are respectful of nan past, but assured astir nan site,” nan spokesperson added.

The Independent has requested remark from Damac Properties.

Damac purchased nan tract successful 2022, and nan waste helped money a $1 cardinal colony for nan victims’ families, galore of whom had initially called for nan onshore to beryllium utilized for a memorial instead.

Some families advocated for nan patient to see a memorial connected site, but aft they couldn’t scope an agreement, section officials committed to building a memorial nearby, which Damac pledged $1.5 cardinal toward, the Miami Herald reported past year. Damac would besides beryllium consenting to springiness up 7 feet into its spot statement for nan project, nan firm’s spokesperson told The WSJ.

“We person worked diligently to beryllium collaborative astatine each shape of this process. We are operating successful accordance pinch nan improvement agreement, which is nan support of nan task by nan City of Surfside,” nan spokesperson said.

Construction connected that memorial task has not started yet, the Miami Herald reported Sunday.

The Champlain Towers South illness is nether investigation by nan National Institute of Standards and Technology, an agency wrong nan Commerce Department. In March, investigators submitted an yearly study to Congress describing their progress.

“The study outlines really nan investigation’s squad has completed nan mostly of its method work, including nan testing of materials beneath nan building site; full-scale building replica tests; study of information and grounds to update nan building illness timeline; and more,” nan agency said successful a release.

Investigators are besides readying to people a video update this month.