SURFSIDE, Fla. — Luis Bermudez’s voice cracked as he spoke to his deceased 26-year-old boy, calling him his hero and a “warrior” who overcame every challenge in his short life. Muscular dystrophy did not hamper his son’s joy, a joy that still gives his father strength a year after “Louiyo” died in the collapse of Champlain Towers South.
”Thank you, Louiyo, for being my son, the most important person in my life, for being my best friend,” Bermudez said on Friday. He stood in front of hundreds of neighbors, first responders and politicians — including Florida’s governor and the wife of the president of the United States — just feet away from the crater where the condo tower once stood. At times, Bermudez raised his hands and voice, as if he was releasing something he’d held back for some time, calling out to his son’s spirit.
On Friday, to mark the anniversary of the day 98 people were lost in a tragedy that changed Surfside forever, survivors, the families of victims and the community gathered for a three-hour memorial at the site of collapse.
