"Ugly as hell." Critique of Surfside collapse memorial complicates project
Last-minute objections to a planned memorial for the victims of the 2021 Surfside condominium collapse have upset family members who say the project must continue without delay.
The big picture: Commissioners and a family-led memorial committee have already approved design plans for a memorial park near the site of the Champlain Towers South collapse.
But last month, the town's Planning and Zoning Board criticized the appearance of the project and urged the commission to seek alternative design proposals.
Friction point: At the March 27 meeting, board member Carlos Aparicio, a Surfside architect, called it "ugly as hell" and "the worst thing I've ever seen in my life."
"It makes me want to throw up, it's that bad," he said.
Aparicio said the memorial project — proposed to include a roughly 20-foot-tall water feature depicting the Champlain Towers and original materials from the building — had "no soul" and looked like "every cliche of every cheap monument that's ever been put together."
"I will chain myself to this corner until this doesn't happen; this is a monstrosity."
He told Axios this week that he "never intended to hurt anyone" and was only giving his opinion on the architecture and design of the project.
"I spoke as an architect who lives in Surfside that has a private opinion on the matter," he wrote in a text message.
The latest: Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett told Axios Wednesday evening that Aparicio had resigned.
Pablo Langesfeld, whose 26-year-old daughter Nicole Langesfeld died in the collapse, called Aparicio's comments "not only inappropriate but cruel" in an April 2 email to Surfside and Miami-Dade County elected leaders.
"The process to create this memorial has been transparent, inclusive, and lawful, and it is disgraceful that a few individuals believe they have the right to dismantle years of work and the collective will of grieving families and the community," Langesfeld wrote.
Between the lines: The chair of the planning board, Lindsay Lecour, apologized for the inflammatory comments at an April 8 commission meeting but said she still wants the board to provide input on the design — with final say coming from the family-led committee.
"I understand the urgency. But this memorial is going to be here long beyond anyone in this room."
Some commissioners, who argued the design plans were incomplete, said they also wanted to hear the board's ideas if it didn't delay the project.
Reality check: The planning board doesn't have the authority to block the project. Surfside leaders, including Burkett, say they want to fast-track it while following the will of the family committee.
"We are not slowing down," Burkett said at the April 8 commission meeting.
The commission voted that day to direct the firm behind the memorial project, Keith & Associates, to engage an artist and work with the memorial committee and the planning board to discuss any possible design changes.
The board will discuss the memorial at its Tuesday meeting.
Martin Langesfeld, Nicole's brother, said at the April 8 meeting that the families were not opposed to "seeing other ideas and making this better; we just really do not want delays, and we want the final concept to be approved by us."
In emailed comments to Axios this week, Martin Langesfeld said it seemed the town was delaying the project by asking the planning board to provide input.
"I hope that's not the intention, but it certainly feels that way."
He said the planning board had four years to make suggestions about a memorial. Members speaking up now "feels like an unnecessary delay."
"The families deserve action, not disrespect and setbacks."
The other side: Burkett tells Axios that the planning board will not slow down the process unless Langesfeld and the other family members decide to adopt their suggestions.
"Martin is in control, and he can take it or leave it, but we're going," Burkett said. "If anybody says the word 'delay,' then we'll just go right past the [planning] board."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
World Waits As Trump Mulls Direct Military Action Against Iran
As the Israel-Iran war enters its seventh day, U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly edging closer to getting directly involved in the fight. Trump has approved plans to attack Iran, but has yet to give the final order, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday afternoon. You can catch up on our coverage of Israel's Operation Rising Lion, designed to keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons and dismantle its long-range weapons capabilities, here. Trump 'told senior aides late Tuesday that he approved of attack plans for Iran, but was holding off on giving the final order to see if Tehran would abandon its nuclear program,' the publication stated, citing three people familiar with the deliberations. WSJ: President Trump has approved attack plans for Iran, but he is holding off on giving the final order to see if Iran will abandon its nuclear program — Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) June 18, 2025 There's another reported reason why Trump has yet to give the order. He is worried about what would happen if the U.S. dropped 30,000-pound GBU-57/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bunker buster bombs – America's most powerful conventional munition – on Iran's most heavily fortified nuclear facility, but failed to destroy it, Axios reported. 'Pentagon officials told Trump they're confident' that the MOPs would work…but it's not clear Trump was totally convinced,' Axios noted. As we have discussed many times in the past, even the mighty MOP might not be able to completely obliterate Iran's deeply buried and heavily protected nuclear facilities like Fordow. So far, the only aircraft certified to drop MOPs is the U.S. Air Force B-2A Spirit stealth bomber. Israel lacks the means strike Iran's deepest installations and is considering alternative ways of destroying the Fordow nuclear facility should Trump not order an attack. 'Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter hinted in recent interviews that the Israel Defense Forces have options beyond just airstrikes,' Axios explained. 'One could be a risky commando raid. Israeli special forces conducted such an operation last September, albeit on a smaller scale, when they destroyed an underground missile factory in Syria by planting and detonating explosives.' Trump pressed aides on whether the bunker-buster plan to bomb Iran's Fordow nuclear facility will work. Pentagon officials told him they were confident it would. @MarcACaputo and I write for @axioshttps:// — Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) June 18, 2025 The War Zone for years has highlighted that Israel would likely be left to a high-risk ground operation if it were to attempt to destroy Iran's nuclear program without the help of U.S. airpower. I have been detailing exactly this reality for many years. Very risky operation, but it has literally the biggest stakes. Access is key and Israel has heavily degraded Iranian air defenses (not totally), but what happens on the ground is another story and, of course getting out. — Tyler Rogoway (@Aviation_Intel) June 19, 2025 On Wednesday, Trump went public with his thinking, saying he won't really know until the last minute whether he will pull the trigger. 'I have ideas on what to do but I haven't made a final—I like to make the final decision one second before it's due,' he told reporters Wednesday. As we reported earlier on Wednesday, Trump has been more coy about whether he will attack Iran. 'I may do it. I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do.' Trump stated. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) commander Gen. Michael Kurilla met with Trump and presented him with military options regarding Iran, a source familiar with the details told The Jerusalem Post Wednesday. Kurilla himself supports joining Israeli strikes JUST IN: CENTCOM Commander Michael Kurilla met with Trump and presented military options on Iran. Kurilla supports a strike and is deeply familiar with both U.S. and Israeli plans. Sources say Trump would prefer a deal he calls a "surrender," but since that's unlikely, the… — GeoInsider (@InsiderGeo) June 18, 2025 Today, 12 U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor stealth fighters landed at Lakenheath Air Base in England, reportedly bound for Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. It's the latest plus-up of U.S. forces that have seen an increase in Navy and Air Force assets. So far, however, the U.S. has only provided defensive support to Israel. American ground, sea, and air-based systems have been helping, albeit in a limited way, shoot down some of the hundreds of ballistic missiles and roughly 1,000 drones Iran has fired. To date, Iran has launched more than 400 ballistic missiles, with just over 20 hitting urban areas, causing casualties and extensive damage, according to a post on X by Times of Israel reporter Emanue Fabian. About two dozen people have been killed and more than 500 wounded. Iran has launched over 400 ballistic missiles and some 1,000 drones at Israel since the start of the conflict on Friday, according to fresh data from the the ballistic missiles, just over 20 impacted urban areas in Israel, causing casualties and extensive damage. 24… — Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) June 18, 2025 Still, the number of casualties is far lower than Israeli officials anticipated, Fabian noted. To defend against these missiles, Israel, with some help from the U.S., has been shooting at them. Israel's interception rate is 90%, with 30 of 370 Iranian missiles impacting Israel as of June 17, the Wall Street Journal reported. You can see the Raptors landing at Lakenheath in the following video made by a plane spotter there. Low-resolution satellite imagery posted on social media seems to indicate that the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar is nearly empty. The base is home to a diverse array of aircraft, including a rotating mix of bombers, fighters, refuelers, surveillance aircraft, helicopters, and other airframes. Earlier in the day, we contacted U.S. officials for comment, but they declined. Previously, the Navy moved assets out of Bahrain ahead of any possible Iranian attack. Very interesting: Low-res satellite images show Qatar's Al-Udeid Air Base nearly empty, with aircraft parking areas cleared.U.S., UK, and Qatari jets appear to have been relocated over fears of possible Iranian strikes. — Clash Report (@clashreport) June 18, 2025 Meanwhile, Israel and Iran continue to attack each other. The IDF said it repelled the most recent Iranian missile barrage while launching several more airstrikes. 'The IDF completed a series of strikes in Tehran: Over 20 military targets including nuclear weapons development project sites, and missile production sites belonging to the Iranian regime in the area of Tehran were targeted,' IDF claimed on Telegram. 'Over the past hours, 60 IAF fighter jets, with the precise direction of the IDF Intelligence Directorate, struck over 20 military targets in Tehran.' Israel's nearly complete air dominance has not only allowed its fighters freedom of action, but it has also enabled its aerial refueling jets to move farther east. This has providing fighters more gas to sustain longer operations and to lug much harder-hitting direct attack munitions to strike larger and more heavily fortified targets. So far, the IAF said it has conducted more than 600 aerial refuelings. That's a critical capability, considering Israel has struck targets 1,400 miles away. 600+ Aerial Refuelings in Middle Eastern SkiesSince the beginning of Operation Rising Lion, IAF fighter jets have struck Iranian regime targets deep in by aerial refuelers flying dozens of sorties, over 600 mid-air refuelings have been conducted to date.… — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 18, 2025 Iran's state-run television channel was reportedly hacked, and instead of broadcasting its normal fare, it played anti-regime and pro-revolution messaging. The satellite signal for Iran's state-run television channel has reportedly been hacked, with all channels now playing anti-regime messaging and videos which call for freedom and revolution against the regime inside Iran. — OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 18, 2025 The U.S. Embassy in Israel has authorized some American diplomats and family members to leave and are now being flown out of the country by the U.S. military, two State Department officials familiar with the matter told ABC News. 'Given the ongoing situation and as part of the Embassy's authorized departure status, Mission personnel have begun departing Israel through a variety of means,' a State Department spokesperson said. The US earlier today evacuated some embassy personnel and family members from Israel on a US military aircraft, sources tell @jmhansler @kylieatwood @OrenCNN — Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) June 18, 2025 As Trump weighs his options, 'the foreign ministers of Germany, France and Britain plan to hold nuclear talks with their Iranian counterpart on Friday in Geneva,' a German diplomatic source told Reuters. 'The ministers will first meet with the European Union's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, at Germany's permanent mission in Geneva before holding a joint meeting with the Iranian foreign minister, the source said.' In a message on X, Wall Street Journal reporter Laurence Normaan said 'the U.S. is in the picture' in these negotiations. I am told by a source, as @ReutersIran who scooped this said, that the U.S. is in the picture. This is not a purely E3/EU initiative. — laurence norman (@laurnorman) June 18, 2025 This is a developing story. Stay with The War Zone for updates. Contact the author: howard@
The Hill
3 hours ago
- The Hill
3 in 4 want legally required, publicly disclosed presidential health tests: Survey
Three in four Americans want health test requirements for presidents that would be released to the public, a new survey released on Friday found. Seventy-four percent of respondents agreed there should be legal requirements for the sitting president to share health records, in an Axios/Ipsos poll, and 72 percent of respondents thought most elected officials aren't honest about their own health. Additionally, 81 percent of respondents said there should be age limits in place for federal officials, including presidents, Supreme Court justices and members of Congress. Only 40 percent of respondents said former presidents should legally have to share health records. The issue of health and cognitive abilities of sitting presidents has been in the spotlight since former President Biden's disastrous debate in June and eventual decision not to run for reelection. He was 82 when he left office and recently announced he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Earlier this week, Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans accused former Biden Cabinet officials, Democratic members of Congress and the media of participating in a massive 'cover-up' to hide what they claim was the former president's obvious and alarming cognitive decline during his final two years in office. President Trump, who just turned 79 last week, is the oldest president to be inaugurated. He underwent an annual physical exam in April and his physician wrote in a memo that he was in 'excellent health.' The memo confirmed that Trump took the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, a test commonly used to detect memory issues or cognitive impairment, and scored a 30 out of 30. Since he first left office in 2020, Trump had released limited information about his physical health. His campaign released a letter in November 2023 from his personal physician, with little specifics. Nikki Haley, Trump's former U.N. ambassador who challenged him in the 2024 GOP primary, called for cognitive tests for politicians over 75. 'To most Americans, this is common sense. But many political and media elites scoff at these ideas,' she wrote in May 2023. The survey was conducted June 13 to 16 and included 1,104 U.S. adults. It has a margin of error of +/-3.3 percentage points.
Axios
6 hours ago
- Axios
Trump's budget bill faces "nightmare scenario," Hawley warns
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is warning that the Senate's version of " one, big beautiful bill" can't pass the House with the Medicaid changes it unveiled this week — urging leadership to change it fast and not to let the fight drag on. Why it matters: Hawley has been the loudest GOP voice fighting against Medicaid cuts. He was shocked and angered by the Senate going even further than the House to find Medicaid savings. House leadership's concerns could help his case. "It seems to me that now we're in a place where this provision is threatening the entire bill, and we just don't have time for that," Hawley told Axios in a phone interview. President Trump wants the bill on his desk on July 4, which White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles reiterated to senators this week. "I just think the idea of having now to go to a conference committee with the House because they say, well, we can't pass this... I mean, good lord, that's just a nightmare scenario," Hawley said. Zoom in: Reports have been surfacing that House leaders and Republican moderates do not think they can pass the Senate bill as-is. The changes to Medicaid and the state and local tax deduction (SALT) cap are the two biggest issues. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.)'s team has told people he has not been consulted on the changes, as Punchbowl reported. Hawley is willing to support the House version of the Medicaid provider tax, which froze it at 6%. What to watch: Earlier this week, Hawley told reporters he had been pitching solutions to leadership to help rural hospitals, which he and other Republicans worry would be hit hard by the even lower provider tax in the Senate bill. He still likes the idea of a rural hospital fund, but also wants to scrap the Senate's slow decrease of provider taxes to 3.5% for states that expanded Medicaid. "We could do both," Hawley said. "I mean, they're not mutually exclusive" Zoom out: Hawley has been clearly frustrated by the changes in the bill, but said he still supports Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.). "This is tough job," Hawley said. "I think he's doing a great job, and it's just... this is a hard job." The bottom line:"I'm 100% confident it will not get to the floor the way they introduced it on Monday," Hawley said. "They will have to change it."
