Money from the sale of Florida beachfront
property where a collapsed condominium tower once stood will
be used to pay property taxes of the destroyed units, a
judge ordered Monday.
Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman said in a brief
ruling that the 2022 tax payments should not be deducted
from the $96 million previously earmarked to compensate
owners of the 136 units of Champlain Towers South in
Surfside, Florida. The building collapsed June 24, 2021,
killing 98 people.
Hanzman said the taxes should not be paid by the owners.
Instead, the taxes — a little under $800,000 combined,
county officials say — should be paid from excess funds
available from the $120 million sale of the land formerly
occupied by the 12-story building.
The issue arose after the court-appointed receiver in the
case, attorney Michael Goldberg, told unit owners in a
letter they would be liable for the taxes just as if their
condos had been sold. The judge's order came just after the
Miami Herald published a story Monday about the unresolved
tax matter.
Oren Cytrynbaum, whose family owned two units in the
building, said he was grateful the judge dealt with the
issue quickly so owners would be spared further expense —
even if it was a few thousand dollars each.
“Every dollar counts for the victims. It's still a
struggle,” Cytrynbaum said in an interview. “Everybody wants
to move on and go to the next chapter. I think we're getting
there."
Champlain Towers property taxes for 2021 were waived last
year by the state Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis. But
until Hanzman's ruling, there was no effort to forgive the
2022 tax bills. The judge said that Goldberg, as the
receiver, “has had actual possession of the property
throughout 2022” rather than the unit owners. The tax
amounts vary based on a unit's size and where it was
located.
The judge in June approved a $1 billion fund for people who
lost family members in the collapse, as well as those who
suffered physical or mental injuries. The $96 million is for
loss of property, including the condo units themselves.
The money comes from 37 different sources, including
insurance companies, engineering firms and a luxury
condominium whose recent construction next door is suspected
of contributing to structural damage of Champlain Towers
South. None of the parties admit any wrongdoing.
A billionaire developer from Dubai is purchasing the
1.8-acre (1-hectare) beachside site for $120 million,
contributing to the settlement.
Hanzman has been conducting a series of hearings on
individual claims by collapse victims about the amount of
compensation for a family member's death, which he recently
described as harrowing.
“It's a brutal process,” the judge said. “I just don't want
to cause these families any more stress.”
Champlain Towers South had a long history of maintenance
problems and questions have been raised about the quality of
its original construction and inspections in the early
1980s. Other possible factors include sea level rise caused
by climate change and damage caused by salt water intrusion.
A final conclusion on the cause is likely years away. The
National Institute of Standards and Technology is overseeing
the investigation.