This image shows the aftermath of the Surfside condominium building collapse which occurred on June 24, 2021.

This week, Miami-Dade circuit judge Michael Hanzman gave final approval to a settlement for victims of the Champlain Towers South condominium collapse in Miami a year ago.

The families of 98 people who were killed will receive over a billion dollars in a settlement in addition to those who lost one of the 136 units in the beachfront building.

We see a glaring difference between the condo collapse in Surfside, Miami and levee breach event in New Orleans:

––Quick acknowledgment of the problems that lead to the disaster.

––Rapid declaration that the building was dangerous and must be demolished.

––Within one year all parties came together to compensate the victims.

The people of New Orleans who lost 1500+ loved ones, their homes, their businesses, their neighborhoods did not receive a dime from the organization responsible for the levee breach event in August of 2005––the Army Corps of Engineers.

In Florida, Judge Hanzman praised the lawyers for avoiding what could have been years of litigation.

We also note that Florida will now require statewide recertification of condominiums more than three stories tall under new legislation that the governor signed into law last month in response to the disaster.

Further details about the settlement can be found here.