DeSantis Steps Up, Announces Florida Will Handle Costs of Unsafe Tower Demolition to Speed Rescue and Recovery Effort
In the aftermath of the Champlain Towers South condominium collapse in Surfside, Florida, 124 people remain missing. As the search continues for survivors, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has taken a bold step to aid the efforts.
“I’m pleased to announce the state will pay for all costs associated with the demolition of the remaining structure,” the governor said at a news conference on Saturday.
Gov. DeSantis announces that Florida will pay for “all costs associated with the demolition” of the partially collapsed condo in Surfside: “At the end of the day, that building is too unsafe to let people go back in” https://t.co/3yv7Gh4Zoo pic.twitter.com/Gwt8oqqzM3
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 3, 2021
DeSantis said he met with Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett, and the leaders came to the decision that the demolition should go forward. The Florida governor agreed it was “the right thing to do.”
“At the end of the day, that building is too unsafe to let people go back in,” he said. “I know there’s a lot of people who were able to get out, fortunately, who have things there — we’re very sensitive to that. But I don’t think there’s any way you could let somebody go up in that building given the shape that it’s in now.”
This decision is not a resignation for the search and rescue teams. Instead, it is an effort to “allow the maximum search and rescue activity to continue,” Cava said, according to CBS News.
On Thursday, search and rescue teams were forced to halt their search for over 14 hours due to concerns about the building falling onto them, The New York Times reported.
“They’re working in a very, very unsafe environment,” Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Chief Alan Cominsky said Thursday. “I couldn’t pinpoint it to one specific incident.”
The condition of the building is so volatile that authorities feared factors as small as increased winds could present dangers. As Tropical Storm Elsa heads toward a possible landfall in Florida, that risk has greatly increased.
Once the building is demolished, rescuers will be able to search for survivors more quickly and safely. The decision announced by DeSantis to foot the bill for the demolition project was swift and very important for that reason.
This critical move from the Florida governor was a stark contrast to the response of President Joe Biden, who arrived in Florida on Thursday.
Instead of actually working toward any sort of solution, Biden decided to use the tragedy to propagate his favorite “unity” pitch for America.
“You know what’s good about this?” Biden asked Thursday in a room full of Florida leaders. “It lets the nation know we can cooperate. That’s really important.”
“You know what’s good about this?” Pres. Biden says during a briefing on the Surfside building collapse search and rescue response. “It lets the nation know we can cooperate…that’s really important.” https://t.co/FAm1DMXRA8 pic.twitter.com/pbtreq39RM
— ABC News (@ABC) July 1, 2021
It is hard to imagine a more inappropriate time for such a statement. Either Biden was deliberately attempting to use the tragedy for political gain, or he is just completely incapable of reading social cues. Either explanation is concerning for the supposed leader of the United States.
If Biden wanted to make such an appeal a month from now after working with DeSantis to finish the search, that might make sense. But reaching for a silver lining as several families are still wondering about the fate of over 100 of their loved ones is utterly tasteless.
Meanwhile, DeSantis is taking meaningful action in an effort to save the most lives possible. He realizes this a time for swift action, not empty vocabulary.
One cannot help but imagine a potential 2024 presidential ticket pitting DeSantis against Biden. One man took it upon himself to assist rescue efforts, while the other used the tragedy to spout political cliches.
In such a situation, the choice seems abundantly clear.
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