Rubble from Surfside collapse returned to town for memorial construction
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Rubble from the 2021 Surfside collapse has been returned to the town for the future construction of a memorial promenade for the 98 residents who died there.
The big picture: Plans for the memorial are slowly progressing — four years after the Town Commission originally approved converting a portion of 88th Street near the beach to commemorate the victims.
Catch up quick: The memorial design has already been approved and the town is currently conducting a request for proposals to identify a construction vendor.
- The concrete and rebar from the collapse site — returned to the town by the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office — will be used to construct commemorative pillars along the outdoor memorial walkway.
- For now, the rubble will be stored outside the town's tennis center, across from the collapse site.
What they're saying: Family members of the victims gathered there last week to mark the return of the rubble and, hopefully, the beginning of construction.
- "I'm happy that we are making it happen," said Raquel Oliveira, who lost her husband Alfredo Leone and 5-year-old son Lorenzo in the collapse.
- "We cannot forget this. We won't. But we want the world to know what happened here and to have a little hint of how it feels to lose everything."
What's next: Construction bids are expected by Feb. 17.
- Construction is supposed to begin sometime in the first quarter of 2026, according to the design firm's December presentation to commissioners.