Could the Surfside Collapse Have Been Prevented? What NIST Just Revealed (Airing 6/28/26)
5 years after the collapse of Champlain Towers South, the federal government’s final investigation has changed our understanding of what happened.
According to NIST, the building’s collapse didn’t begin in a matter of seconds. It had been progressing for nearly three weeks.
In this special episode, Eric Glazer sits down with one of the few people who witnessed this tragedy from both sides, first as an engineer involved in the building before it collapsed, and then as someone who stood in Surfside as the disaster unfolded. In a deeply personal conversation, Greg Batista (@GregBatistaENGINEER | @askgbatista ) reflects on what happened, how it changed him, and what must be done to ensure it never happens again.
Five years after Surfside, the “Wild West” era of condominium safety is coming to an end. Eric and Greg explore the events leading up to the Champlain Towers South collapse, the lessons learned, and how engineering, technology, and stronger laws can help protect lives for generations to come.
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Most condo owners think they understand how community living works…After more than 30 years practicing condominium and HOA law in Florida, Eric pulls back the curtain on the real world of condos and HOAs, the fights, the politics, the hidden financial dangers, reserve funding, board battles, Surfside, special assessments, and the human side of community living that nobody talks about, in his new book, “What the Hell Did I Just Buy?”.
The book is available RIGHT NOW on Amazon as:
• E-book 👉 https://tinyurl.com/4bc6tmaf [https://tinyurl.com/4bc6tmaf]
• Paperback 👉 https://tinyurl.com/46r8a8a7 [https://tinyurl.com/46r8a8a7]
• Hardcover 👉 https://tinyurl.com/2a3rjkdm [https://tinyurl.com/2a3rjkdm]
And the audiobook is coming soon!
or search in Amazon...
“What the Hell Did I Just Buy?”
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Eric Glazer
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Condo Craze and HOAs
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S4E21 | Airing 6-28-26
YouTube Chapters
00:00 Pre-Show
02:12 Cold Open, Five Years After Surfside
03:35 Show Start: NIST’s Final Report, The Building Was Failing for Three Weeks
05:34 Greg Batista’s 2017 Warning to the Champlain Towers Board
11:30 What the NIST Investigation Actually Found
13:25 The Warning Signs Everyone Missed
30:19 The “Wild West” Era of Florida Construction and Oversight
59:36 Greg Batista’s Book, Negligence, Lessons from Surfside
1:07:51 Representative Fabian Basabe Joins the Conversation
1:12:30 The Fight for Transparency and Accountability
1:18:45 Why the Memorial Still Hasn’t Been Built
1:23:40 The Lessons Every Condo Board Must Learn
1:24:10 Putting Safety Before Cost
1:26:00 Final Thoughts