I don’t envy Judge Michael Hanzman, the judge who is assigned to decide the fate of the property where The Champlain Towers South Condominium once stood. The question of what to do at this sacred site is not easy. Some families want no re-development and only a memorial. The City of Surfside needs to see residential redevelopment at that site or lose an incredible about of annual real estate tax dollars.
At present, there is an offer to buy the land for $120 million dollars. But that offer doesn’t promise to even put up a memorable plaque marking the spot of the tragedy. Suggestions of rebuilding on the site and forming a memorable tribute somewhere else in Surfside have also not progressed.
According to The Daily Business Review, Hanzman said he is sympathetic to those who want a memorial, but his job is to get the most money for all families of those who died and the approximately 35 families who survived but lost their homes. He has scheduled the auction for late February or early March and said that date is firm because many of the survivors need money to buy new homes.
Judge Hanzman is right, his job is to get the most money for the victims. And, while 120 million sounds like a lot of money, it isn’t when we consider the fact that there were 140 units. There’s another 50 million or so in insurance and this still isn’t even close to being able to compensate the victims and their families all that they are rightfully entitled to.
Then comes an even harder part. How does the court decide who gets what from the limited pot? Does the court allow the family of a 30 year victim to collect more that the family of an 80 year old victim? What about people who survived but were injured? Do they get anything? Of course, everyone needs to get reimbursed for the loss of their unit as well. These are Solomon like decisions the court will ultimately be faced with and they are not easy tasks. Of course, whatever decisions are made there will be people that agree with the court’s conclusions and method of pay-out and those who do not. There is simply no way to make everyone whole financially. And in the end……it’s only money anyway.