A Year After Condo Collapse, New Book Looks at What Led to Tragedy in Surfside

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - EntSun -- The day a residential condominium in Surfside, Florida, collapsed, Greg Batista visited the site, began examining the evidence, and spoke with the media as a subject expert while trying to help make sense of the calamity. His new book, Negligence! Averting Disaster at Your Building, examines how this tragedy could have easily been avoided, and how condominiums can immediately implement strategies to substantially increase a building's useful life.

From his 30-plus years in engineering and construction, Batista has a unique vantage point on the inner workings of the construction, concrete repair, and structural engineering industry in South Florida. In fact, he was hired by and visited Champlain Towers in 2017. He provides key insights on the confluence of issues that attributed to the deadliest building failure in modern history. More than an investigation into a specific incident, the book is an exposé on the flaws in the entire system that made such an occurrence possible.

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Having held top management positions in world-class construction and development companies, Batista has become a recognized and established name in the design and engineering industry in Florida through large-scale commercial, residential, and concrete restoration and repair projects in the US and Puerto Rico, and is a sought-after expert witness and forensic engineer.

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Reflecting on his experience dealing with aging and deteriorating residential buildings Batista said, "I've been to many buildings where I've told the owners, 'Hey, you need to perform these repairs, there are cracks here. It could be something serious.'" Many times his warnings go unheeded.

As a poignant case study, Batista points to what could have gone wrong at Champlain Towers South to lead to its collapse on June 24, 2021, killing 98. From its original design and construction in an era of cutting corners to maintenance issues and deterioration which could have weakened the structure, Batista raises questions that he encourages all large building residents, owners, and managers to consider regarding their own buildings.

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The book exposes how widespread these issues are among aging buildings today. "I hope the book is a resource for owners, property managers, residents, and other real estate professionals to handle growing concerns about structures that—without proper maintenance—may have deadly weaknesses," Batista says. He provides actionable advice for reforms ranging from infrastructure investment and legislation to maintenance, inspections, and painting.

For more information visit www.askgbatista.com/books/. Negligence! Averting Disaster at Your Building, is available from major booksellers; to be published June 24, 2022.