Miami-Dade Mayor Signs Order to Demolish Remaining Part of Florida Condo as Recovery Efforts Continue

The mayor of Miami-Dade County announced on Friday that she has signed an order to demolish what remains standing of the Champlain Towers South.

Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said during her press conference that the death toll has now risen to 22. 126 people are still unaccounted for.

The search-and-rescue efforts have been underway for the past week, and Levine Cava said they’re working to “expand the search area as soon as it is deemed safe to do so by the engineers.”

The mayor then said she signed an emergency order “authorizing the demolition of the building in the interest of public health and safety, as soon as the engineers sign off on the next steps to begin the demolition process.”

It’s important to note that we’re still evaluating all possible impacts and determining the best timeline to actually begin the demolition. Signing the order now is important so that it can help us move quickly, as soon as we’ve decided the best methodology to demolish and the specific start date. Our top priority remains search-and-rescue. I want to be very clear about that. And we will take no option that will jeopardize our ability to continue the search and rescue mission.

She emphasized “this was not a decision we made lightly” and added the building “poses a threat to public health and safety” right now.

You can watch above, via CNN.