The developers of the Miami condo tower that collapsed were once accused of paying off local officials to get permits for the site - which needed $15 million in repairs just to bring it to code, a new report says.
Surfside's developers had contributed to the campaigns of at least two town council members, then demanded that the donations be returned when the allegations surfaced, according to the outlet.
The developers behind the project had included Nathan Reiber, a Polish-born Canadian who was also once charged with tax evasion and cited for legal misconduct in Canada, the report said.
Reiber, who died in 2014, had been charged with tax evasion by Canadian authorities in the 1970s when he and his partners were accused of skimming cash from apartment buildings they owned.
In Florida, Reiber and his partners were initially unable to begin construction of the condo buildings due to a 1979 moratorium over faulty sewers.
The developers agreed to pay half of the $400,000 tab for the sewer repairs on the property and were given the green light - sparking anger from rival developers whose projects remained stalled by the moratorium.
The following year, the Champlain developers asked two local council members to return their campaign contributions amid accusations that the company had paid off officials to get the permits.
https://nypost.com/2021/06/27/developers-of-fla-tower-were-accused-of-paying-off-officials/
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