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Surfside land swap for Florida condo collapse site rejected

Staff with the HistoryMiami Museum work at the site of a memorial wall honoring the victims of the nearby deadly building collapse on June 24 that killed 98 people, Monday, Aug. 30, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. The museum is working with the city and county to catalog the items and preserve them in an archival bin for safekeeping. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

SURFSIDE, Fla. (AP) — Commissioners in Surfside, Florida, have rejected a proposal to trade public land to the eventual buyer of the condominium collapse site.

A $120 million offer for the Champlain Towers property is on the table.

A judge said a property sale with a land swap would enable victims to be compensated while also allowing for a memorial at the site honoring the 98 victims. But after an emotional meeting before an overflow crowd Tuesday night, Surfside commissioners rejected the idea.

Mayor Charles Burkett was the swap’s lone supporter. He said he hopes the victims’ families won’t give up hope.