The investigation into the collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida, continues to face delays and rising costs. Four years after the tragedy that claimed 98 lives, families are still seeking answers and accountability.
“It’s been four years, 98 dead. And there’s no answers and no accountability,” Martin Langesfeld, whose sister and brother-in-law died in the collapse, told Surfside commissioners on Tuesday.
Langesfeld spoke shortly after the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) presented its preliminary findings. According to investigators, evidence points to the collapse beginning at the pool deck, which started caving in at least seven minutes before the tower fell. The investigation found that the pool deck’s design did not meet code requirements and slab reinforcements were not installed as specified. Nearly all construction joints lacked steel reinforcement dowels, and many concrete “keys” were either missing or improperly built. NIST’s Glenn Bell said these issues may have allowed water infiltration, leading to corrosion and cracking of reinforcements.
Investigators also noted a series of problems that appeared before the building collapsed. On the night of the incident, a water drip became a steady stream in the garage—a moment captured on video—while weeks earlier a gate jammed between decks and a sliding glass door came off its tracks about a month prior. The locations of these issues reportedly matched areas with faulty construction joints.
NIST had initially planned to release its final report this year but now expects draft reports next year.
“We share the public’s desire to have answers,” said NIST’s Judith Mitrani-Reiser, “and what we can do to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.”
In a statement, NIST emphasized that from the start it recognized this investigation would be especially complex due to “the lack of any obvious cause, such as a fire or plane crash.”
Family members say these delays add to their pain.
Langesfeld acknowledged that understanding what happened is important for condo residents’ safety across Florida but stressed someone must be held responsible for failures at Champlain Towers South.
“This tragedy requires criminal accountability. Who developed and constructed this building? Who approved this building? There are many potential parties that must be investigated,” he told town commissioners. “This was not a natural disaster, this was not a hurricane. This was a preventable human error.”
Elsewhere in Miami real estate news: Michael Shvo sold one Miami Beach development site for an amount reportedly close to its loan value while trying to retain control over other properties including One Soundscape Park.
In residential transactions, former Apple CEO John Sculley and his wife Diane sold their Palm Beach oceanfront estate at 1214 North Ocean Boulevard for $37 million to Chestnut Park Holdings LLC.
On the commercial side, Michael Stern’s JDS and David Martin’s Terra purchased Bikini Hostel at 1247 West Avenue for $20 million as part of a larger $120 million development deal involving Bay Garden Manor at 1250 West Avenue where they plan new waterfront condos.
A nearly 9,800-square-foot mansion at 1610 North Ocean Boulevard in Palm Beach has been listed for $65 million by Margit Brandt of Premier Estate Properties; it last sold in 2019 for $25.5 million.
Recent obituaries include Douglas Elliman agent Darin Tansey—found dead at his Ritz-Carlton Residences condo in Miami Beach—and Danny Zelonker, an industrial real estate broker who died in August at age 75.
