The judge overseeing the Surfside Collapse case is concerned that the survivors will not receive enough insurance money

The judge overseeing the collapse of Surfside feared that insurance payments and the proposed sale of the Champlain Towers property would not be sufficient to fully compensate the victims’ claims.

“It may not be enough to compensate everyone’s claims,” ​​said Michael Hanzman, Judge of the Miami-Dade Circuit.

Hanzman also warned lawyers that any claims made should be complete and firm. “I’m not interested in the term’Hail Mary’.”

The claims against all tenants may be combined into a class action that will be filed in mid-August.

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Hanzman said on Wednesday that the preservation of evidence is critical to understanding the cause of the collapse of a Florida beachfront apartment and protecting the legal rights of victims and others.

Miami-Dade County is expected to transfer control of the Champlain Tower South site to a court-appointed receiver later this month. The recipient, lawyer Michael Goldberg, said he was discussing how engineers and other experts could access the property and the reinforced concrete remains of the building, some of which are stored in local warehouses.

“We will not delay this matter,” Hanzman said at the hearing. “Everyone has the opportunity to conduct the investigations they need. We don’t want to be accused of destroying the evidence.”

The 12-story apartment building in Surfside collapsed on June 24 for unknown reasons, killing 98 people and leaving dozens of people homeless. The cause of the collapse is one of the deadliest accidents in American history and is still under investigation.

The remote hearing on Wednesday involved lawsuits filed by the victims’ families, unit owners, mortgage holders and others seeking damages.

Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett said that by understanding what happened in Champlain Towers South, obtaining expert evidence can help officials avoid similar construction disasters.

Burkert said: “It must be done as soon as possible. This is life-threatening.”

One survivor, Sharon Schechter, said that she barely escaped from the 11th-floor unit, but expressed concern at the hearing that renters like her might lose their property but might have nothing.

“I don’t know where I stand. I have lost everything I have,” Schechter told the judge. “Everything went well, and then my life was turned upside down.”

Hanzman said that as the lawsuit progresses, Schechter and other tenants will file claims for their losses.

Another hearing is scheduled for next Wednesday.