Judge says Florida apartment collapse victims will get at least $150 million

Victims and families of the June 24 Florida apartment collapse that killed nearly 100 people will get $150 million to start, a judge in Florida said on Wednesday, and Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Hansman said at a hearing that the amount will include $50 million from Insurance money and at least $100 million from the sale of the South Champlain Towers site, which was ordered to move forward earlier this month. “The court’s concern has always been the victims here,” Hansmann said. Hansmann noted that victims of the collapse include renters and visitors to the property, not just condominium owners, and the building collapse, which left at least 97 people dead and others missing, sparked several lawsuits from victims and families. Hansmann had previously authorized an acceleration of those lawsuits and ordered the payments to be expedited, and on Wednesday, the judge said the lawsuits will be combined into a class action, and the $150 million in damages will not be drawn from those lawsuits. People in ruins screaming: 911 calls reveal panic, anxiety in Surfside, Florida, apartment collapse, ambition: Remembering those who died in the Champlain apartment collapse in Surfside, Florida The decision came when the building collapse site was cleared almost entirely of rubble Wednesday. The rubble is being stored in the warehouse and vacant lot, to be held for use in lawsuits and for further investigations. Although authorities have not determined the cause of the building’s collapse, fears of possible structural damage over a 40-year period have been reported. Old condominium building in the past. Hansmann also heard arguments about what the future of the site should be, with some unit owners calling for a memorial site, others wanting to rebuild the site, and still others favoring a combination of the two options. If a memorial site was chosen, Hansmann said, residents and owners would not be expected to donate land for the memorial; Instead, they should be compensated at fair market value. The judge’s main concern was quick compensation, adding: “This is not an issue where we have time to allow the grass to grow under it.” Contributing: The Associated Press.