![[VIDEO] Damaged Surfside Building Demolished With Explosives](https://floridianpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/IMG-4805-800x400.jpg)
They said it couldn’t be done in under 2-4 weeks, but at 10 pm on July 4th, a demolition contractor brought down the remaining and condemned Champlain Tower condominium building in Surfside using explosives.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava signed the order authorizing the demolition late last week just as she began to be accused of “dragging her feet” in ordering the remainder of the building to be brought down.
“We’re proceeding with our evaluation of all of the factors all of the time and the impacts related to the demolition of the building while the search and rescue continues as our top priority,” said Cava in a press briefing last week. “And it is important to stress as our engineer explained yesterday evening that demolition cannot be done overnight. In fact, it takes weeks to demolish a building.
During this past Saturday’s midday press briefing, Mayor Cave asserted her position about knocking the building down with explosives and reassured that the building was cleared of any and all pets that were reported to have been left behind when the building was evacuated.
#BREAKING:Remainder of Champlain Tower South building has been demolished. pic.twitter.com/jvom1ctBkA
— WSVN 7 News (@wsvn) July 5, 2021
"Bringing down this building in a controlled manner is critical to expanding the scope of our search-and-rescue effort," said Cava at the briefing.
The building was able to be taken literally in a matter of a day or so, not the two weeks or more Cava and others were told it would take.
Hours before night fell, Cava held another briefing with elected officials. This time Reps. Carlos Gimenez, Maria Elvira Salazar, and Kat Cammack, were all in attendance.
Rep. Cammack reassured reporters that all available federal dollars and efforts have been put in place.
So far, 24 confirmed deaths and 121 people are still listed as unaccounted for, as rescue crews will continue rescue efforts within the next day or so.
Read more about the Surfside building collapse HERE
