Surfside building collapse

A year ago, a condominium building in Surfside, Florida, suddenly collapsed in the early hours, killing 98 people.

The sum would be divided between those who have lost property in the collapse based on the value of each person's condominium.

Without a full engineering report, one engineering professor is wondering how officials can declare the building safe.

Beijing says it isn't bothered by the U.S. diplomatic boycott of the Winter Games, but diplomats and state media personalities are lining up to criticize it on social media.

One man who lost family in the disaster told Newsweek the adverts are "very painful and utterly disgusting."

A new lawsuit filed for the victims and family members of Champlain Towers South in Miami said, "the collapse was entirely preventable."

"It's a very complex investigation. Everybody's anxious for answers," said Glenn Bell, an associate lead NIST investigator.

It is recommended that buildings within 3 miles of the ocean should be inspected within their first 20 years, with follow-up inspections every seven years.

The task force was formed by a section of the Florida Bar to make recommendations to prevent future distasters.

"The last thing I want to see is victims fighting over the [money] allocation," Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman said.

Paper money found will be destroyed at the U.S. Treasury because it's contaminated. Family members and survivors will receive checks instead.

Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Michael Hanzman urged family members and surviving owners not to argue over how the proceeds are distributed if the lot is sold.

"It is unacceptable that the last place my son was alive to be anything but a memorial," Ronita Felszer said on Thursday.

"This is the moment we come together as a community to defend our community center and all town-owned properties," Commissioner Nelly Velasquez wrote.

The brother of the main suspect was arrested in connection to the identity theft case involving deceased victims in the Surfside condo collapse earlier this summer.

Seven victims of the Surfside condo collapse—five deceased and two surviving—were targeted by identity thieves who made large purchases under their names.

"It is something that is going to be looked at. There will never be enough to fully compensate everyone," Judge Hanzman said at a status hearing.

"If there's that amount of corrosion, this should have been fixed," a structural engineer professor told the Miami Herald.

At least one bidder has offered up to $120 million for the lot.

The $120 million offer came Wednesday morning, as Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman authorized the negotiation of an agreement with the unnamed bidder.

Five city-owned buildings in Miami Beach were, up until recently, in violation of the 40-year safety recertification mandate.

Residents of 5050 NW 7th Street, in Miami's Flagami neighborhood, were told Monday night they had until 8 a.m. on Tuesday to pack whatever they could and leave.

"I didn't even know that something like this was possible," Rachel Spiegel told Newsweek.

The judge warned attorneys that any claims put forward should be complete and ironclad. "I'm not interested in 'hail Mary' claims," Judge Michael Hanzman said.

"It would not be an understatement to characterize our need to access the collapse site as an emergency," Mayor Burkett wrote to Mayor Levine Cava.

Fernando Castano's attorney said the firefighter's family noticed a distinct difference in him in the last few weeks of the search and rescue effort.

Estelle Hedaya was the final victim to be removed from the deadly building collapse, ending what her relatives described as a torturous four-week wait.

William Friedman faced a six-month suspension from Florida's architecture board in 1967 for designing structures that toppled during a major hurricane.

"As we enter month two alone, without any other families, we feel helpless," the missing victim's brother told the Associated Press on Friday.

Rescue task forces concluded work at the site of the collapse on Friday afternoon, departing in a procession.