Luxury high-rise to replace evacuated Surfside condos

A Surfside condo complex blocks from the site of the Champlain Towers South collapse is being demolished to build a luxury high-rise with prices starting at $5 million.

The big picture: The redevelopment of the oceanfront Regent Palace buildings is part of a larger trend of developers overhauling older condo buildings in the wake of the Surfside collapse, which killed 98 people in 2021.

Catch up quick: The squat, twin buildings — built in 1951 — were voluntarily evacuated weeks after the collapse following a grim engineering report.

• A Surfside commissioner at the time questioned whether the evacuation was just a "convenient excuse" to quickly flip the property.
• Multiplan Real Estate Asset Management bought the buildings at 9309 and 9317 Collins Avenue for $64 million this past January.

The latest: The developer is replacing the two-story buildings with a 12-story tower project called Ocean House . It's next door to the Surfside community center.

Details: Ocean House will have 25 "ultra-luxurious" residences, with two-to-five bedrooms apiece.

• The smallest: just under 2,100 square feet.
• The largest: nearly 6,300 square feet.
• Amenities inside: Rainfall showers, freestanding tubs, floor-to-ceiling windows, custom kitchen islands and European cabinetry.
• Building perks include a spa, salon, fitness center and rooftop pool, plus reflecting ponds and floating cabanas.

What's next: The groundbreaking of the new building is planned for next year, with project completion expected in 2027. Units are already for sale.