Voters Oust Surfside Mayor Who Led Town During Condo Collapse

Miami FL

16 March, 2022

10:04 AM

Description

SURFSIDE, FL — Less than a year after leading the town of Surfside through the tragic collapse of the 12-story Champlain Towers South building, voters have ousted Mayor Charles W. Burkett in Tuesday's election, according to unofficial results from the Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections. During the search-and-rescue efforts at the site of the June 24 condo tower collapse, which killed 98 people, Burkett was a regular presence on national media. Challenger Shlomo Danzinger took home nearly 35 percent of the vote Tuesday with 499 votes — just 33 more than Burkett and 23 more than a third candidate for the position, Vice Mayor Tina Paul, unofficial results show. Nearly 6,000 people live in Surfside, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Danzinger told the Miami Herald, "We got much higher than we thought we were going to get." He said that residents are tired of infighting between Burkett and other members of the town commission. Related Story: Surfside Condo Collapse Audio Files Accidentally Deleted: Report "The voters have their own ideas and I'm happy with the determination of the voters," Burkett told the Herald. "That works for me just fine." A business owner who moved to Surfside with his family from Brooklyn, New York in 2012, Danzinger lost a town commission bid in 2020. He'll be the town's first Orthodox Jewish mayor, according to Local 10 News. Voters also decided on four commission seats, re-electing Commissioner Nelly Velasquez, and electing Fred Landsman, Marianne Meischeid and Jeffrey Rose. The town of Surfside will host a swearing-in ceremony Wednesday, 7 to 8:30 p.m., at 9292 Harding Ave. in the commission chambers.