A project manager died Friday from his injuries in what appeared to be a flawed effort to demolish the old Marlborough House condominium in Miami Beach.
AlliedBean Demolition project manager Samuel Landis, a 46-year-old father and Lighthouse Point resident, had been in critical condition since July 23, when the Marlborough House collapsed after it was prepared for demolition.
Landis was hit by debris as pieces of the 13-story building at 5775 Collins Avenue crashed onto the street. He suffered a severed leg, according to a July 24 report on the incident by Miami Beach police.
A criminal investigation of the incident by Miami Beach police is under way. So is a workplace hazard investigation by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Landis had been an owner or employee of construction and demolition companies in Illinois and Florida for nearly two decades. He was president of Omega Demolition from 2003 to 2013.
The Marlborough House property was set to be redeveloped as a 17-story, 89-residence luxury condominium, a project led by billionaire José Isaac Peres’ Multiplan Real Estate Asset Management.
“Multiplan Real Estate Asset Management is deeply saddened by news of the passing of Samuel Landis of Allied Bean Demolition,” Marcelo Kingston, manager of Miami Beach Associates, the owner of the building, said in a statement. “We would like to extend our deepest sympathy to his family, friends and co-workers. Wishing to respect the family’s privacy, we will not be making any further comments at this time.”
Winmar Construction awarded a subcontract to AlliedBean Demolition for the Marlborough House project.
“All of us at Winmar are deeply saddened by the loss of Samuel Landis,” Luis Leon, president of Winmar, said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Landis family and their loved ones during this unimaginably difficult and painful time as we continue to work through what happened during the demolition of the project.” [Miami Herald] – Mike Seemuth