Surfside Collapse

Officials have unveiled plans to boost security around the debris pile. "This has become much more than a collapsed building site," said mayor Charles Burkett said. "It has become a holy site."

As the investigation continues into the deadly condominium collapse in Surfside, a top Republican Florida House leader said Monday that lawmakers don’t need to make immediate changes to state building codes.

In Surfside, Fla., rescue and recovery crews are among those struggling with tremendous grief over the condo building's collapse. Some who do such work repeatedly have found ways to cope.

After 14 days of searching, the operation now turns to a "recovery" phase. None of the victims recovered from the wreckage as of Wednesday morning survived the initial collapse, authorities said.

The death toll from the June 24 collapse has now climbed to 46, officials in Surfside announced Wednesday. The 14th day of the search yielded the highest number of bodies found in a single day.

Officials in Miami-Dade County leveled the remaining section of the Champlain Towers South condo ahead of Tropical Storm Elsa. They said the unstable building was a danger to search efforts.

A November 2020 presentation to residents of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Fla., prepared them for the expensive repairs ahead and warned that "shouting at each other doesn't work!"

Officials leading the search and rescue operation said Thursday that several possible risks of collapse were observed overnight at the site.

Florida has created a new website that pools together federal, state and community efforts to help victims, families and first responders affected by the Surfside collapse, amid warnings of GoFundMe scams.

As recently as last month, Surfside, Fla., officials were ordering changes at Champlain Towers South. But the demands never focused on the building's fundamental soundness.