SURFSIDE, Fla. – There are concerns in Surfside over what will happen to a memorial near the site of the Champlain Towers South condo collapse.
A new building may soon be coming to the area.
Last week, the Surfside Planning and Zoning Board voted 4-1 to allow developer DAMAC Properties to place a loading zone to include trash pickup along 88th Street in Surfside.
This comes despite a 2022 town resolution that Eliana Salzhauer, a town commissioner at the time, championed to designate as a memorial park to honor the victims of the condo collapse.
“Ninety-eight of our residents died. They died in the middle of the night, and they need to be remembered,” Salzhauer said. “It isn’t even a question of why there should not be garbage trucks next to the solemn memorial in this town.”
Martin Langesfeld lost his sister Nicole Langesfeld and brother-in-law Luis Sadovnic in the tragedy.
“Garbage on top of a memorial where our loved one dies. I received 33% of my sister’s body -- she is still there -- there were 98 people who died there,” he said.
The developer told Local 10 News Tuesday, “We’re working to remove the sanitation area from the loading dock.”
That isn’t good enough for Langesfeld.
“The loading dock area needs to be completely removed from 88th Street,” he said. “It is very unfortunate that two years later I need to continue to stand here and ask for respect.”
According to the developer, it’s the Florida Department of Transportation that told them where to place the loading dock.
“FDOT was telling us to put our loading on 88th Street. They directed us to put our loading on 88th…we have to follow what they are telling us to say,” said DAMAC Properties Vice President James Galvin.
Local 10 News reached out to FDOT, which refuted Galvin’s claims, saying, “The statements that are referenced do not accurately reflect our communications to date.”
Now commissioners Marianne Meischeid and Nelly Velasquez are asking the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office to investigate.
“I was outraged,” said Meischeid. “Clearly was not giving the correct facts at the time, which really concerns me, and it concerned which outcome of the planning and zoning board’s decision, which is why I am making a motion to vacate.”
Meischeid said she’d like a review on whether an act of perjury was committed and to know if they plan to prosecute.
Late Tuesday, the town commission said it would be reviewing the building application at a special hearing on Sept. 27.
Local 10 News reached out to the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office to find out whether they plan to investigate, and received the following response Wednesday from a spokesman:
“After checking with our staff attorneys, I have learned that we received an email from the commissioners yesterday relating to this matter. The information is currently being reviewed.”
Statement from DAMAC Properties:
“Following the Planning and Zoning meeting on August 31st and after hearing family members’ concerns, we met with the Town of Surfside to find a more acceptable solution for the sanitation collection strategy which would no longer access 88 Street near the proposed Memorial. Accordingly, we’re working to remove the sanitation area from the loading dock area and develop a system to deliver it from within our site to the designated pick up location.
“Conversations are ongoing and we are working closely with all concerned parties to address the new town ordinance regarding sanitation collection, and we will provide further updates once established.”
Town of Surfside statement:
“The Town of Surfside’s Planning and Zoning Board is a recommending committee that provides recommendations on new site plan applications. The vote that occurred at the August 31 meeting recommended that the submitted application move forward as the application met Town Code.”
Florida Department of Transportation statement:
“In response to your inquiry regarding statements made at a Town of Surfside Planning and Zoning Meeting on August 31, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) would like to provide the following clarification. Representatives from the FDOT Permits Office met with the developer’s representatives August 2, 2023, to discuss a future permit application. The developer’s representatives provided a preliminary site plan with paving and drainage details. As presented, the only request from FDOT was driveway access onto SR A1A/Collins Avenue; their site plan identified a loading area on the north side of the property off of 88th Street. This was an informal coordination meeting. As of today, FDOT has not received a permit application from the developer or their representatives. No reviews or recommendations have been provided to the applicant by FDOT. The statements that are referenced do not accurately reflect our communications to date. FDOT’s Permits Office was advised of the Town’s Adopted Resolution via an email late Wednesday night. While our goal with all permit applications is to ensure the safety and mobility of the traveling public, we are sensitive to the community’s concerns and will work with all parties to develop the best solution.”