Mayor signs order to demolish remainder of building in Fla. condo collapse

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 7:19 AM PT – Saturday, July 3, 2021

Miami officials have signed an emergency order to demolish the remaining part of the building from the Surfside condo collapse. Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava (D) announced the order on Friday, however it remains unclear when the demolition will occur.

The mayor said bringing the structure down as quickly as possible is critical to protect the community. “The demolition of the building is going to proceed based on the recommendations of the engineers, as we stated yesterday and as I stated today, that is going to take time,” said Levine Cava.

With over three million pounds of concrete now removed from the collapse, our first responders continue their search and rescue mission — putting their own lives at risk in extremely difficult conditions.

To each and every one of them: thank you. pic.twitter.com/t7uNvH3F8j

— Daniella Levine Cava (@MayorDaniella) July 2, 2021

The mayor said it is likely to take weeks and that it’s not possible from any perspective to move more rapidly than that. She stressed the concern involved in compromising the search, but that the building itself poses certain risks. Officials say they are trying their best to balance the two.

This comes after the city of North Miami Beach closed a 156-unit condominium building, citing unsafe structural and electrical conditions. On Friday, residents in the Crestview Towers Condominium were forced to collect their personal items after an audit found the building suffered unsafe structural and electrical conditions.

North Miami Beach launched a review of all high-rise buildings above five stories to determine if they’re in compliance with the city’s 40-year recertification process in wake of the Surfside collapse.

While we continue to support Surfside and monitor ongoing search efforts, we are also preparing for potential effects from Tropical Storm #Elsa. @NHC_Atlantic predicts this storm could impact Florida early next week. Please follow @FLSERT for developments over the coming days.

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) July 2, 2021

Meanwhile, authorities warn the complex operation at Surfside still faces more challenges including weather, the approaching Hurricane Elsa and the rest of the building threatening to collapse.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said, “it is possible that this area could see a tropical storm…our Department of Emergency Management is assuming that will happen and making the necessary preparations to be able, obviously, to protect a lot of the equipment. You could potentially have an event with the building as well.”

Meanwhile, Mayor Levine Cava said their top priority remains with the search and rescue. “I want to be very clear about that, and we will take no action that will jeopardize our ability to continue the search and rescue mission,” said the mayor.

In the meantime, authorities are still conducting investigations into what caused the collapse.

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