High rises are heavy, and that can cause the ground below them to slowly sink and settle, especially right after they’re constructed. But in Miami, dozens of buildings along the coast are sinking at “unexpected” rates, and long after they were initially built.
Scientists at the University of Miami found that 35 buildings along an approximately 11 mile stretch of the coast, from Miami Beach to Sunny Isle Beach, are sinking into the ground—a process known as subsidence. Researchers examined the buildings from 2016 to 2023, and found that they sank two to eight centimeters—about .8 to 3 inches. Those buildings include beachfront condos and hotels, like the Trump Tower III (which sank 4 centimeters in that time) and the Ritz Carlton Residences (5 centimeters).
The worst subsidence was in Sunny Isles Beach, followed by Surfside, where a 12-story condo building........