SURFSIDE, Fla. — Six-year-old John Rodriguez’s Thursday lunch date with his 64-year-old grandmother, Elena Blasser, and his 88-year-old great-grandmother, Elena Chavez, was canceled. Their family day on Saturday was also canceled. His parents couldn’t bring themselves to tell him why.
His 40-year-old father, Pablo Rodriguez, saw the video showing the Champlain Towers South tragedy. A section of the L-shaped building collapsed shortly before 2 a.m. on Thursday in Miami-Dade County’s oceanside town of Surfside.
The 11th-floor balcony where John had enjoyed a clear view of the Atlantic Ocean and the two-bedroom apartment he associated with family beach time fell down. The most painful image: A second section of the 12-story building pancaked over the pile of concrete to form a compact mountain.
“I lost it at that point because all I see is my mom’s unit coming down because I know where the balcony is,” Rodriguez said. “I saw the balcony completely collapse down and another building fall on top of it. And at that point, that’s the moment I was watching them die.”
Rodriguez said he talked to his mother every day. During a conversation Wednesday, hours before the collapse, she told him she woke up to creaking noises in the middle of the night, and she couldn’t get back to sleep. He just thought she had a bad night and moved on with his day.
“It is a detail I will never forget because at the time I didn’t pay much attention to it,” Rodriguez said.
The search-and-rescue operation at 8777 Collins Ave. started quickly. Fire Rescue crews pulled out a 15-year-old boy who also lived on the 11th floor. He survived but his mother, Stacie Dawn Fang, 54, died on the way to the hospital. Crews have recovered bodies and human remains every day since.
Groups of 10 to 12 heroes wearing hard hats tunneled through the mountain of hazards. They faced intermittent storms and spontaneous fires. Structural engineers checked for the stability of what was left of the building.
The search included highly-trained dogs, robots, drones, sonar tech, cameras, DNA rapid tests, and heavy equipment. At great peril, other teams climbed up the surface with buckets. In the periphery, a crane operator helped to lift metal and concrete.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced Wednesday afternoon that a crew had found the bodies of two children. The Miami-Dade Police Department later identified them as 4-year-old Emma Guara and her 10-year-old sister, Lucia Guara.
After seven days and into the seventh night of searching, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel hadn’t abandoned hope of finding survivors. Rodriguez did. His hope was rescuers were going to find their bodies, so the funeral arrangements could begin and the family could start grieving together.
Meanwhile, his son John had no reason to think about death. He had recently celebrated his sixth birthday. His grandmother had planned to go with him to buy him a new bicycle. It was a belated birthday gift. Blasser and Chavez had been available to talk to him regularly.
Blasser, who had experience as a teacher and administrator for Miami-Dade County Public Schools, always kept an eye on his education. Chavez, a travel agent, wanted him to enjoy adventures, and she taught him by example. She was planning a trip to Turkey.
After the inconveniences of the coronavirus pandemic, the COVID-19 vaccine made a family trip possible. John spent time with Blasser and Chavez. They visited his uncle in Washington, D.C., explored Philadelphia, and returned to Miami on June 19th.
The family also had plans to enjoy a fancy brunch together in August to celebrate Chavez’s 89th birthday. It pains Rodriguez to know that instead, John will have to say goodbye to his “Dos Elenas.” The family’s hope is that John will come to continue to know them as his angels.
Rodriguez, a Miami-based attorney with Therrel Baisden, said that had his mother survived, she would be advocating for justice. He said she would want to hold responsible parties accountable to ensure that another tragedy like this never hurts another family again.
On Tuesday, he was still learning about what preceded the tragedy that robbed so many of time with their loved ones. Like the creaking noise his mother heard, there were surely many details residents and officials ignored. The investigations to determine the cause of the collapse will likely take years.
Residents who survived said the Champlain Towers South Condominium Association’s leadership was unstable and dysfunctional. A troubling 2018 report shows an engineer reported there were red flags that the association needed to take care of. A letter the association president sent to residents in April said the issues had worsened over time. The cost had ballooned from more than $9 million to more than $15 million.
Town officials said the building was in the process of recertification, which is required every 40 years. The board was not pressed for time in 2018, but the scrutiny of the recertification process came with deadlines. There was an ongoing project on the roof.
Rodriguez said that to expect condo associations’ board members to self-govern on life-critical maintenance issues without subject-matter expertise is nonsensical. He said there is a need for inspection reform to enforce more rigorous oversight and timely compliance.
“They don’t even realize these are life-critical maintenance issues. If you are not in construction, you don’t understand the severity of what they are actually telling you,” he said. “There needs to be some kind of official oversight — not just for me and my mom and my grandmother, but for every family that is struggling through this, and for other families that are not going through this, so they don’t have to.”
Condominium law experts agree. Florida legislators said they are ready to make changes as it relates to state and federal law. Rodriguez said he hopes that will be the legacy his son’s grandmother and great-grandmother leave behind.
- HOW TO HELP: Here’s a list of resources to support those impacted by building collapse
- More about the victims identified
- Photos: Loved ones name those they say are missing
- Photos: Search-and-rescue teams in action
- Hotline and wellness form for residents and families
Coverage on Wednesday
- Death toll rises to 16 in Surfside; 147 people remain unaccounted for
- Rubble from Surfside condo brought to grassy field in Golden Glades’
- Ex-official who said Surfside condo was sound leaves new job
- Missing woman made phone call to her husband as Surfside condo collapsed
- Mother of North Bay Village police chief confirmed dead following Surfside collapse
- Remarkable stories of Surfside condo residents who survived by chance
- Family of missing woman files wrongful death lawsuit against Champlain Towers South Condo Association
Coverage on Tuesday
- ‘Something inside me said run’: Surfside survivor describes escaping as building came down
- Surfside resident lucky to be alive after spending night with girlfriend
- Champlain condo associations try to appease sister towers residents, speed up repairs
- Condominium law experts say tragedy will prompt more accountability
- Miami-Dade building audit already spotting issues
- Army of volunteers showers first responders with food, water
- Rescuers battle obstacles during their search in Surfside
- Recently married lawyer and husband missing in collapse
- Renowned civil engineer hired to investigate
- Families of Surfside victims keep hope alive by visiting condo and unifying in Bal Harbour
- Prosecutors will ask grand jury to probe building collapse
- ‘Our backyard’: Tragedy strikes home for Miami-Dade rescuers
- Biden to visit Florida building collapse on Thursday
- In collapsed building’s twin, most residents are staying put
- Surfside realtor says deadly building collapse ‘hasn’t slowed down the demand’ on beachside condos
- Beachside vigil held for victims and families of Surfside building collapse
Coverage on Monday
- Another body pulled from rubble in Surfside, bringing the total confirmed dead to 10
- Residential property audit announced by Miami-Dade mayor already underway
- Buses take loved ones of missing Surfside residents to collapse site
- 8 victims now identified following Surfside building collapse
- 88-year-old Surfside condo survivor remembers those who helped her to safety
- ‘Don’t give up hope,’ local leaders tell families of Surfside missing
- Watch out for Surfside charity scams and price gouging
- Despite warning, town deemed condo building in ‘good shape’
- Mayor: Child alone outside collapse site brings tragedy home
- Who are they? Stories of the victims of Surfside collapse
- What caused Surfside collapse? Engineer offers insight
- ‘I will miss you all my life:’ Father pens beautiful note to late son who died in the Surfside condo collapse
- Memorials grow in Surfside as desperate search for victims continues into fifth day
- Surfside collapse is ‘wake-up call,’ DeSantis says as questions remain about cause of devastating collapse
Coverage on Sunday
- State fire marshal provides insight into efforts to locate victims while fighting fire
- Team of national scientists to visit Surfside collapse site
- Teams use sonar devices, lasers to aid in Surfside rescue
- Several families belonging to Miami Beach church remain missing, parishioners gather to pray and hope
- Neighboring residents express concern as investigation into Champlain Towers South collapse continues
- Buses take loved ones of missing Surfside residents to collapse site
- Remembering the dead and missing
- Search-and-rescue teams tunnel through pancaked concrete 3 days after building collapse
Coverage on Saturday
- Relative of Surfside building collapse victim lashes out at DeSantis for not ‘doing enough’
- Surfside building collapse: Four out of 5 dead identified; 156 remain unaccounted for
- Missing grandparents’ landline calling from Champlain Towers South condo, family says
- Surfside tower had ‘major structural damage’ — but enough to cause a collapse?
- North Bay Village police chief’s mother has been unaccounted for since Surfside building collapse
- ‘The hope is that there are going to be miracles,’ relative of Surfside building collapse victims says
- Fire burning beneath rubble of collapsed Surfside condo hindering rescue efforts
- Surfside building collapse first responders having difficulty locating victims in massive debris pile
- Miami-Dade Mayor: ‘I’m hopeful this will be the day we have a breakthrough’
- Surfside mayor expresses concern over Champlain South’s identical sister building
- Traffic changes in Surfside area as rescue efforts continue following deadly building collapse
Coverage on Friday
- Champlain Towers South resident survives by climbing through rubble in the dark with her dog
- Teen identified after being pulled from rubble in Surfside, family confirms mother is among those dead
- Man who lives in condo looks out, tells wife ‘My parents’ apartment isn’t there’
- Surfside collapse: Family reunification center moving from community space to hotel
- First lawsuit filed after partial building collapse in Surfside
- Smoke billows out from Champlain Towers South collapse site
- Surfside officials discuss aftermath of building collapse: ‘Terrible tragedy’ to change recertification
- Israel sends help to Surfside’s Jewish community
- Amid anguish after building collapse, memorial, prayer circle help some cope with Surfside tragedy
Coverage on Thursday
- Officials fear there will be many casualties after Surfside building ‘pancaked’ during collapse
- Surveillance video captures eerie moments as part of Surfside condo crashes down
- Man says all he saw was ‘white clouds of dust’
- Father remains missing; wife and daughter hospitalized after Surfside building collapse
- Surfside condo that collapsed was going through a recertification process
- After Surfside collapse do you need to worry about your building?
- Officials fear there will be many casualties after Surfside building ‘pancaked’ during collapse
- Geologist warned of instability in Surfside
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