It’s not only been confirmed that 11 people died from the collapse of the Miami, Florida-area beachfront condo, but that a letter from months ago warned that the building’s conditions were worsening.
On April 9, Champlain Towers South’s board president, Jean Wodnicki wrote a note to residents, detailing the building’s level of decay from 2018 onwards. “The concrete deterioration is accelerating. The roof situation got much worse, so extensive roof repairs had to be incorporated,” the letter said, according to CNN. Wodnicki also described what the building looked like, describing the concrete to be “spalling” or cracking, meaning that “the rebar holding it together is rusting and deteriorating beneath the surface.” She also wrote that “the observable damage such as in the garage has gotten significantly worse since the initial inspection.”
“Based on our investigation, there were many warning signs more than 10 years ago—maybe even longer,” attorney Adam Schwartzbaum told CNN. His grandparents moved out of the building about 10 years ago due to the living conditions.
After the partial building collapse on June 24, the victims and property owners filed a $5 million class-action lawsuit on June 25. The suit accuses the management company, Champlain Towers Condominium Association, for failing to look after the property’s residents and visitors “through the exercise of ordinary care, safety measures, and oversight.” During the timing of the filming, over 150 people were still missing.
A couple of other lawsuits have also been filed, one by resident Raysa Rodriguez who was asleep at the time of the collapse. Her suit alleges that the condo association showed “reckless and negligent conduct.”
