Champlain Towers South site (Getty Images)
The 136 owners of the collapsed Champlain Towers South in Surfside are on the hook for an $787,000 property tax bill, further frustrating some who feel they were shortchanged by their share of the more than $1 billion settlement in the class action case.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and lawmakers waived the tax bills last year following the tragedy in Surfside, which killed 98 people when the oceanfront building collapsed in June 2021. But the owners, who are set to receive $96 million of the $120 million from the property sale, will soon have to confront their 2022 tax bills, according to the Miami Herald.
The Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser’s office assessed the vacant 1.8-acre site at 8777 Collins Avenue, which was sold to Dubai developer Damac Properties, at $41.3 million. The $787,000 bill averages out to $5,800 per unit, but each owner’s share will vary based on their unit’s square footage.
Owners are only responsible for their property taxes from January to July. Damac will be responsible for the property taxes for the remainder of the year.
State law requires the county to assess properties and collect taxes, which means it’s up to the state to waive the unit owners’ property taxes.
Oren Cytrynbaum, whose family owned units in the building, told the Herald that the tax bill for the site “doesn’t sit well with owners, who are also victims.”
“Not only did we receive a reduced settlement amount and the lowest settlement amount, and now you’re coming after us to pay property taxes, too?” Cytrynbaum said.
– Katherine Kallergis
