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Florida

Tragedy casts pall over July Fourth holiday in South Florida

Bobby Caina Calvan And Freida Frisaro

Associated Press

Tags: Donald Trump, Dan Gelber, Florida, Condo Collapse
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The damaged remaining structure at the Champlain Towers South condo building collapses in a controlled demolition, Sunday, July 4, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. The decision to demolish the Surfside building came after concerns mounted that the damaged structure was at risk of falling, endangering the crews below and preventing them from operating in some areas.(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
The remaining structure of the Champlain Towers South condo building is demolished more than a week after it partially collapsed, late Sunday, July 4, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Demolition teams bring down the unstable remainder of the Champlain Towers South condo building, late Sunday, July 4, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. The work to demolish the remains had suspended the search-and-rescue mission, but officials said Sunday it should eventually open up new areas for rescue teams to explore. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
The remaining structure of the Champlain Towers South condo building is demolished more than a week after it partially collapsed, late Sunday, July 4, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Demolition teams bring down the unstable remainder of the Champlain Towers South condo building, late Sunday, July 4, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. The work to demolish the remains had suspended the search-and-rescue mission, but officials said Sunday it should eventually open up new areas for rescue teams to explore. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
The remaining structure of the Champlain Towers South condo building is demolished more than a week after it partially collapsed, late Sunday, July 4, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Explosive charges begin as demolition teams bring down the unstable remainder of the Champlain Towers South condo building, late Sunday, July 4, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. The work to demolish the remains had suspended the search-and-rescue mission, but officials said Sunday it should eventually open up new areas for rescue teams to explore. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
The remaining structure of the Champlain Towers South condo building is demolished more than a week after it partially collapsed, late Sunday, July 4, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
A cloud of dust grows over the site after demolition teams brought down the unstable remainder of the Champlain Towers South condo building, Sunday, July 4, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. The work to demolish the remains had suspended the search-and-rescue mission, but officials said Sunday it should eventually open up new areas for rescue teams to explore. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Demolition teams bring down the unstable remainder of the Champlain Towers South condo building, late Sunday, July 4, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. The work to demolish the remains had suspended the search-and-rescue mission, but officials said Sunday it should eventually open up new areas for rescue teams to explore. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Demolition teams bring down the unstable remainder of the Champlain Towers South condo building, late Sunday, July 4, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. The work to demolish the remains had suspended the search-and-rescue mission, but officials said Sunday it should eventually open up new areas for rescue teams to explore. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Demolition teams bring down the unstable remainder of the Champlain Towers South condo building, late Sunday, July 4, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. The work to demolish the remains had suspended the search-and-rescue mission, but officials said Sunday it should eventually open up new areas for rescue teams to explore. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Demolition teams bring down the unstable remainder of the Champlain Towers South condo building, late Sunday, July 4, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. The work to demolish the remains had suspended the search-and-rescue mission, but officials said Sunday it should eventually open up new areas for rescue teams to explore. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
The damaged remaining structure at the Champlain Towers South condo building collapses in a controlled demolition, Sunday, July 4, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. The decision to demolish the Surfside building came after concerns mounted that the damaged structure was at risk of falling, endangering the crews below and preventing them from operating in some areas.(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
The damaged remaining structure at the Champlain Towers South condo building collapses in a controlled demolition, Sunday, July 4, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. The decision to demolish the Surfside building came after concerns mounted that the damaged structure was at risk of falling, endangering the crews below and preventing them from operating in some areas.(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
The remaining structure of the Champlain Towers South condo building is demolished more than a week after it partially collapsed, late Sunday, July 4, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Demolition teams bring down the unstable remainder of the Champlain Towers South condo building, late Sunday, July 4, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. The work to demolish the remains had suspended the search-and-rescue mission, but officials said Sunday it should eventually open up new areas for rescue teams to explore. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
A cloud of dust grows over the site after demolition teams brought down the unstable remainder of the Champlain Towers South condo building, at left, Sunday, July 4, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. The work to demolish the remains had suspended the search-and-rescue mission, but officials said Sunday it should eventually open up new areas for rescue teams to explore. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
A cloud of dust grows over the site after demolition teams brought down the unstable remainder of the Champlain Towers South condo building, Sunday, July 4, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. The work to demolish the remains had suspended the search-and-rescue mission, but officials said Sunday it should eventually open up new areas for rescue teams to explore. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
The remaining structure of the Champlain Towers South condo building is demolished more than a week after it partially collapsed, late Sunday, July 4, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
The damaged remaining structure at the Champlain Towers South condo building collapses in a controlled demolition, Sunday, July 4, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. The decision to demolish the Surfside building came after concerns mounted that the damaged structure was at risk of falling, endangering the crews below and preventing them from operating in some areas.(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
The remaining structure of the Champlain Towers South condo building is demolished more than a week after it partially collapsed, Sunday, July 4, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
The remaining structure of the Champlain Towers South condo building is demolished more than a week after it partially collapsed, Sunday, July 4, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

The damaged remaining structure at the Champlain Towers South condo building collapses in a controlled demolition, Sunday, July 4, 2021, in Surfside, Fla. The decision to demolish the Surfside building came after concerns mounted that the damaged structure was at risk of falling, endangering the crews below and preventing them from operating in some areas.(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

The Fourth of July holiday was marked with somber tones in South Florida, where a collapsed building has left at least 25 dead and more than 120 missing under rubble.

“July 4 is ordinarily a time to gather with our loved ones and to celebrate our freedom and our independence, and this year the holiday looks very different," said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.

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“But through this grief ... and all of the other obstacles that have been thrown our way, a clear picture emerges of what it means to be American,” she said.

A vigil was planned for Sunday night in Miami Beach for the victims of the fallen Champlain Towers South condominium complex in Surfside, Florida.

Neighboring Miami Beach typically hosts one of the region's most spectacular fireworks displays, but officials canceled their show for the second straight year out of respect for the families. The show could not go on last year because of the coronavirus outbreak.

“So many in our city are less than one degree of separation from those who are grieving the loss of loved ones, or praying for the unaccounted ... who remain in the massive rubble,” Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber said in a statement.

“The blanket of grief that has overcome us does not leave room, right now, for the kind of joyous celebrations that are traditionally part of the Fourth of July experience,” the mayor said.

Instead, he asked residents to go outside at 9 p.m. for a moment of silence with a lighted candle, a flashlight or cellphone — anything, he said to pay tribute to their neighbors affected by the tragedy and as a show of support to the first responders risking their lives in the search for victims.

Other cities across the region also canceled fireworks shows, as officials overseeing rescue operations in Surfside prepared to demolish the still-standing portion of Champlain Towers South.

One of the few locations in Miami-Dade County that was going forward with fireworks displays was former President Donald Trump’s golf resort in Doral. All of the tickets for the free event, 20 miles (32 kilometers) inland from Surfside, had been snatched up.

But in Surfside, the holiday had taken on a new meaning: one without fanfare, but with a lot of gratitude.

“This July 4 we’re reminded that patriotism isn’t just about loyalty to country,” Cava, the Miami-Dade County mayor, said during a news conference. “It’s about loyalty to one another — to our communities, to those in need whose names or stories we may not know ever, but to whom we are connected by compassion and by resilience.”

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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