National Institute of Standards and Technology
National Construction Safety Team Investigative of the June 24, 2021
Champlain Towers South (CTS) Condominium Collapse in Surfside, FL
OMB Control #0693-0078
Expiration Date: 07/31/2025
[PENDING OMB APPROVAL]
A Federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with an information collection subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 unless the information collection has a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Control Number. The approved OMB Control Number for this information collection is 0693-0078. Without this approval, we could not conduct this information collection. Public reporting for this information collection is estimated to be approximately 2 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the information collection. All responses to this information collection are voluntary. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this information collection, including suggestions for reducing this burden to Attn: Judith Mitrani-Reiser, Team Lead for the NIST Champlain Towers South NCST Investigation, Engineering Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, E-mail: judith.mitrani-reiser@nist.gov or Phone: 301-975-0684.
Do you have any questions for us? May we proceed with the interview?
Let’s start with your background
Please tell us about your professional background.
Please also tell us about your professional experiences in the 1970s and 1980s.
Next, we will be asking you about the history of the CTS site and the building. Again, feel free to let us know if you can’t recall.
Do you recall or are you aware of what was on the CTS site prior to the construction of the building?
If YES, continue.
If NO, skip to Question 2.1.2.
Please tell us what you remember or know about the site’s early beginnings.
Please share any documentation (e.g., photos, maps) you may have with us from those earlier days.
Do you recall or are you aware of the lifting of Dade County’s Moratorium barring new construction until necessary water and sewer infrastructure improvements for the CTS building? If so, please explain.
Do you recall or are you aware of how the design, development and construction of the CTS building generated public debate in the Town of Surfside in late 1970s and early 1980s?
If YES, continue.
If NO, skip to Question 2.1.4.
Please share the specific concerns raised about the CTS building at that time.
What were the specific concerns raised regarding the original building design?
Which groups raised these concerns?
To your knowledge, how were these concerns addressed at the time?
What were the specific concerns raised regarding the zoning variance that was granted for the penthouse?
Which groups raised these concerns?
How were these concerns addressed at the time?
Do you recall or are you aware of how the Town of Surfside worked with the developers of the Champlain Towers? If so, please explain.
What should be our next steps in terms of gathering more knowledge about the Town of Surfside’s decision to grant the initial permit for the CTS?
How about the Town of Surfside’s decision to grant the zoning variance for the CTS penthouse? What should be our next steps?
Have you or others noticed any issues related to the safety of the CTS building prior to 2021, the year of the collapse?
If YES, continue.
If NO, skip to Question 2.1.8.
Please tell us about the issues you noticed.
How were these issues addressed?
Do you recall or are you aware of any major renovations, repairs, or remodeling of a portion of the CTS building prior to the collapse (e.g., in 1990s)?
If YES, continue.
If NO, skip to Question 2.1.9.
Please tell us about these renovations, repairs and remodeling projects in as much detail as possible.
Do you recall or are you aware of any complaints from CTS residents during the demolition of the former Howard Johnson Dezerland Hotel?
If YES, continue.
If NO, skip to Question 2.1.10.
Please tell us about these complaints in as much detail as possible.
How were these complaints addressed?
Do you recall or are you aware of any complaints from CTS residents during the construction of 87 Park Building?
If YES, continue.
If NO, skip to Question 2.1.11.
Please tell us about these complains in as much detail as possible.
How were these complaints addressed?
Do you recall or are you aware of any complaints from CTS residents during the beach nourishment projects?
If YES, continue.
If NO, skip to 2.1.12.
Please tell us about these complaints in as much detail as possible.
How were these complaints addressed?
Do you recall or are you aware of any damages to the CTS during a hurricane or a storm or any other extreme event?
If YES, continue.
If NO, skip to Question 2.1.13.
Please tell us about these damages in as much detail as possible.
How were these damages addressed?
Do you recall any car accidents involving a column at the CTS building prior to its collapse?
If YES, continue.
If NO, skip to Question 2.1.14.
Please tell us about these car accidents in as much detail as possible.
Are you familiar with the 40-year recertification process of the CTS building?
If YES, continue.
If NO, skip to Question 2.1.15.
Please tell us about what you know about the building’s recertification process in as much detail as possible.
How can we access records (e.g., drawings, blueprints, inspection reports, photos, videos, communications) related to the history of the CTS and its neighboring buildings that we just talked about, starting from its initial design until its collapse [the interviewer goes through the list of events discussed in this section]? We would appreciate any guidance you might provide.
Is there anything that we have not yet discussed but you think is important for us to know about the history of the CTS building and its neighboring buildings?
We now would like to ask a few questions about the government’s role in response to the collapse of CTS.
We would like to hear your perspectives on the government’s response to the collapse of the CTS building.
What aspects of the government’s response to the collapse of the CTS building worked well?
What would be your recommendations to enhance the government’s response to a building failure of a similar nature?
In your opinion, how can the government prevent future calamities such as the one witnessed in Surfside?
What are your recommendations for the federal government?
What are your suggestions for state governments?
What are your suggestions for local governments?
Is there anything else that you think we should study further? Or any other questions we should be focusing on?
Is there anything we have not yet discussed but it is important for us to know about?
We welcome submissions of data including photos, video and other documentation associated with collapse of CTS. Do you have any additional photos, videos, or other information (e.g., field notes) that you would like to share with us?
Do you have ___________about the following [the interviewer may ask about specific materials]?
If YES, continue.
If NO, wrap up the interview.
Would you be able to share these with us? Y/N
Those are all the questions we have. The valuable information you provided will help our engineers and scientists improve building safety. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us.
After the formal interview ends, you may remember new details or notice new things about the issues we discussed today. Please feel free to reach out back to us to share that information. We are eager to continue this conversation with you.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Ganapati, Nazife E. (Assoc) |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2025-07-15 |