Revealed: $750,000 in cash was found scattered throughout the rubble of Surfside condo collapse that left 98 dead, and is now set to go to victims
Rescue workers have discovered about $750,000 in cash throughout their search through the rubble of the June condo collapse in Surfside, Florida.
The money, some of which is still neatly tucked into purses and wallets, will be returned to the victims.
Much of the cash was just randomly spread out throughout the rubble and is badly damaged.
The collapse of the residential building in Surfside, Florida, on June 24 killed 98 people, making it one of the deadliest building failures in the country's history.
Michael Goldberg, the condo association for the building's receiver says that none of the money can be tied to any particular resident or unit.
Rescue workers have discovered about $750,000 in cash throughout their search through the rubble of the June condo collapse in Surfside, Florida.
Despite the damage to the money, he believes the national treasury can restore it and redeem its value to those who make claims.
The United States Department of Treasure will clean up the money and then issue Goldberg a check for its total value.
While some of the money founded in purses and wallets should be simple to link to the owners of those bags, some of the money can't be tied to anybody and will be placed in a general fund.
The money, some of which is still neatly tucked into purses and wallets, will be returned to the victims
'I will give everybody the right to be heard,' said Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman said Thursday during a regular hearing on a class-action lawsuit and other legal matters swirling around the partial collapse of the Collins Avenue condo building.
Hanzman approved of the plan.
The judge will most likely create a system allowing for victims who lost any money to file a claim.
Some of the other items found at the building include cars in an underground garage, furniture, clothes, jewelry and personal photos, as well as 17 locked safes.
Some of the other items found at the building include cars in an underground garage, furniture, clothes, jewelry and personal photos, as well as 17 locked safes
Goldberg told Hanzman Thursday that the safes must be investigated to determine their owners and was working with police to do so.
At the hearing, some of the surviving condo owners said they desperately need money for everyday living expenses and asked Hanzman for help.
To help some of the victims, Hanzman approved a plan to give $5,000 to each of them from a $1 million fund donated by a Miami attorney.
The money is supposed to be used for relocation costs,
The collapse of the residential building in Surfside, Florida , on June 24 killed 98 people, making it one of the deadliest building failures in the country's history
Hanzman had previously approved $10,000 for relocation expenses in the days following the collapse.
Other money will be released to the victims from monetizing the property.
Goldberg said Thursday that there was going to be $120 million sale to a 'stalking horse' buyer formalized next week.
Hanzman has repeatedly said he believes Goldberg should be 'monetizing' the property as quickly as possible to compensate the victims.
The other potential source of recompense for the victims will come from the condo building's insurance coverage for loss of property and lives, totaling about $49 million.
Hanzman said that while that money is already available, he wants to wait until all of the money from the sale of land and other liable third parties is collected before distributing it.
The city of Miami currently has 2,439 buildings on its unsafe structure list, according to city data. While the Champlain Towers site is part of Miami-Dade County, it is not part of the city of Miami
The cause of the Champlain Towers South collapse has not yet been determined
The cause of the Champlain Towers South collapse has not been determined.
The footage released by the US Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), shows various problems with the building's structure as workers inspect the debris up close.
Densely packed steel reinforcement in multiple areas and an alarming amount of corrosion in one specific section where a column was connected to the foundation are visible.
A timeline of the tragic Surfside building collapse that left nearly 100 people dead
A nearby memorial is now a visiting place to remember the 98 that died for the disaster
While several dozen individual lawsuits have been filed regarding the building's collapse, Hanzman has begun pooling them together and appointing 12 law firms to run litigation proceedings.
Once these first steps have been completed, individual lawsuits will be heard.
Brad Sohn, one of the plaintiffs' court appointed attorneys, told DailyMail.com 'As attorneys for the victims we are closely monitoring all of the wide-ranging potential causes being investigated following the Surfside tragedy. We have also undertaken to do so ourselves and are working as fast as we possibly can on this front, looking everywhere we can for answers.'
As the courts work to decipher who will be held responsible for one the collapse, several other buildings in Miami have been evacuated, deemed 'unsafe structures.'
Miami Dade County officials are inspecting 501 buildings - every one in their jurisdiction that is 40 years or older- to make sure none are compromised like the Champlain Towers. There is currently no state law in Florida that requires high rise buildings to be inspected regularly.
The city of Miami currently has 2,439 buildings on its unsafe structure list, according to city data. While the Champlain Towers site is part of Miami-Dade County, it is not part of the city of Miami.
Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Michael Hanzman (upper left) has said he wants to wait until all funds have been recovered from the building as well as insurance before he can distribute compensation to the victims
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