As Miami Beach officials continue to recover bodies and clear debris from the devastating collapse of the Surfside Champlain Tower South Condo, the victims’ families are calling for investigations into the developers behind the building, possible corruption, and condo association negligence.
Nathan Reiber, an ex-attorney who fled to Miami in the 70s after charges of tax evasion to start a new life as a real estate developer, was one of the principal developers of the condo tower. Reiber, who died in 2014, had “allegedly skimmed tens of thousands of dollars from coin-operated laundry machines in the [apartment buildings he owned in Canada] and pocketed about $120,000 from phony construction checks”, the Washington Post said.
Upon starting his new career in real estate in Miami, Reiber was one of the lead developers behind the Champlain Towers South constructed in 1981. Even back then, the legality of the construction permits he received was raising red flags. The New York Post reports that Reiber and his partners were accused of bribing local officials for construction permits “which needed $15 million in repairs just to bring it to code” and “had contributed to the campaigns of at least two town council members”.
Reiber, however, was not the only one involved in the condo’s construction. He enlisted the help of consulting engineers Brieterman Jurado & Associates and architects William M. Friedman & Associates to complete the project. Reiber, Brieterman, and Friedman, the leaders of the project, have all passed as of 2018.
When the condo collapsed on June 24, 2021, it had been overdue for a $15 million renovation to bring the property up to code in order to pass a certification that is required of buildings over 40 years old. According to a 2018 report by engineer Frank Morabito who was hired by the building’s association to conduct repairs, the condos were cited for “major structural damage” and warned about concrete deterioration.
Despite the ominous warning, the condo association allegedly did not respond or act upon the recommended repairs for 18 months. Shortly after beginning the first phase of necessary repairs, the condo collapsed.
Given the number of parties involved in the construction and renovations of the condo towers, finding one party responsible for the tragedy will take time. So far the survivors and families of the victims, a total of 97 confirmed dead, have filed several lawsuits against the Champlain Tower South Condo Association. The first hearing for these cases began in early July at the Miami-Dade Courthouse and investigations are ongoing, so we will continue to monitor the situation as it progresses.
