Many Americans dream of owning a slice of beachside paradise, but residents of one of the glitziest stretches of coastline suddenly have a terrible sinking feeling.
Investigators are sounding the alarm that many luxury high-rise buildings on Miami’s barrier islands are rapidly disappearing into the ground, with 35 said to be at risk of sinking further.
But that hasn’t stopped developers from building, or wealthy buyers from snapping up multimillion-dollar condos, even in the wake of the Surfside collapse in 2021.
Federal investigators with the National Institute of Standards and Technology revealed last year that some of the steel-reinforced concrete columns in the doomed condo building were half the strength they should have been.
The buildings that are sinking are in stunning Floridian enclaves including more buildings in Surfside, Sunny Isles Beach, Bal Harbour and Miami Beach.
The buildings, which are mostly luxury residences and hotels, have sunk nearly three inches over just seven years from 2016 to 2023, according to a University of Miami study sparked by the horrifying condo collapse.
Some of the most prestigious addresses in Miami are included on the list.
The luxury buildings that are sinking include Trump Tower III, Porsche Design Tower, Ritz-Carlton Residences, Eighty Seven Park and Arte Surfside.
Trump Towers III is included on the list of sinking buildings in the Miami area
In one of the most shocking cases Porsche Design Tower, famed for its glass elevators that go straight into sky-high penthouses, has sunk more than four inches in seven years.
The building has multiple apartments for sale ranging from $4.2 million to $14.6 million.
Trump Tower III has 20 units for sale ranging from $1.1 million to $3.2 million.
Eighty Seven Park has seven apartments listed, with one in the luxury high rise going for a whopping $15.5 million.
The Arte Surfside building, meanwhile, has a unit on sale for $12.9 million.
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner rented an apartment in the luxury tower while they were building their $24 million mansion on nearby Indian Creek Island.
The study explained that the buildings were at risk due to a cocktail of porous limestone, sandy sublayers and relentless construction all pressing down on already fragile ground.
Constant drilling and hammering from new builds sends vibrations through the sandy soil beneath the area which packs the sand tighter. This then directly leads to ground subsidence — which is the gradual sinking of ground.
Porsche Design Tower, famed for its glass elevators that go straight into sky-high penthouses, has sunk more than four inches in the seven-year time frame
The Arte Surfside building is among the list of luxury residences which are sinking
In addition to the excessive vibrations, water from storm surges, tides, and construction runoff seeps through the city’s sponge-like limestone and dramatically shifts sand particles, which causes buildings to move.
While the findings are of sinking buildings, the evidence brings to mind the Surfside condo collapse, but that was the result of design flaws that investigators say made water from the deck constantly seep into the garage area under the pool, helping corrode the building.
As a result of the tragedy, new laws were put into place to improve condo safety and ensure proper maintenance of older buildings.
This also meant homeowner association fees shot up as residents became responsible for mandatory inspections and reserve funding for future repairs.
Researchers say the sinking is much worse than previously believed.
‘We attribute the observed subsidence to load-induced, prolonged creep deformation of sandy layers,’ the study explains.
But while the buildings are sinking, the development boom continues.
High-rise construction has only increased in the years despite the ground.
98 people died when a condo building in Surfside collapsed in 2021
Champlain Towers was in the midst of its 40-year structural review when it collapsed without warning in the early morning hours of June 24, 2021, killing 98 people
Faena House is included in the list of 35 sinking buildings located around Miami
Eighty Seven Park is another Florida tower that researchers say is sinking into the ground
A 60-story St Regis is underway and is set to be the tallest building in Sunny Isles once completed.
Developers have been promising that they have mastered engineering milestones, like installing record-breaking foundation piles.
But the issue, according to the study, is the foundation can be solid — but the buildings are still sinking.
Among the other buildings that made the list were the Faena Hotel, Trump International Beach Resort, Surf Club Towers, Regalia, Residences by Armani Casa, Muse Residences, Jade Ocean Condos, Jade Beach Condos, and Jade Signature Condos.
Chateau Beach Residences, Millennium Condominiums, and Marenas Beach Resort were also included.
In February, the board of the Marenas Beach Resort in Sunny Isles Beach spent about $20,000 to install a wireless sensor system after construction of the St. Regis had begun next door. That luxury condo project will rise over 60 floors high — more than double the height of the Marenas.
‘That’s huge,’ Lisa Gardner, president of the condominium association at the Marenas, told The Miami Herald.
Now, the board gets access to data that flags any damage and helps assess the reasons why, which could be used in case of potential litigation.
Armani Residences in Miami is on the list of sinking buildings in the area
Real estate agent Jeff Lichtenstein, CEO of Echo Fine Properties in Florida
‘They’re going to be digging and their construction can affect our foundation, our structure, just anything,’ she said.
Jeff Lichtenstein, a prominent Florida real estate broker, says regulation is the key to securing trust from buyers.
‘Buyers of homes rely on the greater good of government. We rely on stoplights to tell us when to stop. We trust the drinking water. We trust the court system. We trust that a Disney World roller coaster is safe,’ he told the Daily Mail.
‘The condo changes and the new legislation that just passed — House Bill 913 — were good and reasonable changes. All the safety measures, even though they add cost, give consumers confidence to buy.’
Also, for many, the allure of Miami can’t be beaten.
Sun and sand and luxury living remain major draws despite the environmental risks.
Buyers also purchase because of the lifestyle they can have in Florida.
‘I’ve lived in Florida for 25 years. I’m going on fishing charter this weekend. My daughter is headed to the beach,’ Lichtenstein said.
The Ritz-Carlton residences are also on the list of buildings that are sinking, according to the study
He added that Florida needs a government that will lead the way with serious guardrails.
‘The water here is part of our way of life.’
He continued: ‘There was an Anthony Bourdain episode where he asked a woman in Little Haiti how often she goes to the beach. She said, ‘Not in a year — but I like that it’s there.”
As for developers, Lichtenstein says they are obviously driven by dollar signs. But he also believes no one wants another Surfside.
‘Builders build because they want to make money,’ he said. ‘I’m sure they’re doing their own safety analysis. No one wants a disaster – it also damages their business.’
‘Studies like the University of Miami’s are key. We need more of them,’ he told Daily Mail.
For now, Miami’s luxury real estate market continues to grow — even as the ground below it sinks.
The Ritz-Carlton Residences, named on the list, earlier this year announced the launch of sales with Douglas Elliman.
The 111 custom-designed beach houses in the sky with panoramic ocean and city views range from $4.25 million to $125 million.
There are only 11 left for sale.
