Dozens of luxury condos, hotels in Miami sinking at 'unexpected' rates, new study reveals

[highplainsdem]

Source: Miami Herald

Dozens of luxury beachfront condos and hotels in Surfside, Bal Harbour, Miami Beach and Sunny Isles are sinking into the ground at rates that were “unexpected,” with nearly 70 percent of the buildings in northern and central Sunny Isles affected, research by the University of Miami found.

The study, published Friday night, identified a total of 35 buildings that have sunk by as much as three inches between 2016 and 2023, including the iconic Surf Club Towers and Faena Hotel, the Porsche Design Tower, The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Trump Tower III and Trump International Beach Resorts. Together, the high rises accommodate tens of thousands of residents and tourists. Some have more than 300 units, including penthouses that cost millions of dollars.

“Almost all the buildings at the coast itself, they’re subsiding,” Falk Amelung, a geophysicist at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science and the study’s senior author, told the Miami Herald. “It’s a lot.”

Preliminary data also shows signs that some buildings along the coasts of Broward and Palm Beach are sinking, too.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/environment/climate-change/article296831519.html

[Bernardo de La Paz]

1. Rising sea levels plus rising temperatures mean more infiltration and faster erosion

Not only do sea levels rise, but higher temperatures mean the ground is more liquid and infiltration proceeds more quickly because the liquid expands and becomes more fluid at higher temps. There is more erosion because the mechanical action (seepage) and chemical action (reaction with limestone) is increased with higher temperatures. Corrosion proceeds at a faster rate crumbling foundations and rusting reinforcements, bolts and hangers. That may have been a factor in the collapse that killed 98 people.

[jimfields33]

3. Wouldn't that happen in New York, Boston, all of Europe, and pretty much everywhere that has a coastline?

[Bernardo de La Paz]

4. Depends on the coastline, how high, and how far. But yes, many places in danger

Wall Street in NYC has more flooding issues these years.

Miami Beach is right on the ocean, built on limestone. There are many buildings in a row, a lot of weight. Other places are on more solid rock or not so near or low.

Venice, Italy, comes to mind too.

[DBoon]

31. Hot water expands

I believe local high ocean temperatures near Florida are behind some of the sea level increase. You see more of this in FL than in the Northeast US or Europe.

I'm not an expert on this by any means, and if someone who is wants to address this I'd welcome them.

[BoRaGard]

2. Trump Towers slowly sinking into the cesspool

of crap it came out of. How fitting.

[NotHardly]

15. ... and the good news keeps trickling in.

[Deuxcents]

5. Building high rises on limestone and barrier islands is a recipe for disaster

Over here, on the west coast of Florida, and even after all our hurricanes in the last two years, they are right back building on the barriers. It’s not sustainable for so many reasons and one is the astronomical costs for insurance that we all pay for this cycle of building up, blowing away environment.

[hatrack]

24. I posted something a week-ish ago about the priciest property in America

It's on the Florida west coast . . . south of Tampa, IIRC.

Anyway, was some ridiculous pile - 14 bedrooms, 26 bathrooms, two extra houses, a yacht basin and dock, and of course the whole thing was right on the barrier island.

And it can be yours for something like $294 million.

[Deuxcents]

26. I just looked that up..2.7.2024 Naples Daily News ..9 acre compound in Port Royal located in Naples, Florida

$295 million ! 708 feet of beachfront and Gulf views, 231 feet of a yacht basin for up to 6 boats.
No need to say it’s a very exclusive zip code down there!

[defacto7]

32. I'm curious how it fared the hurricane. n/t

[tanyev]

6. How long before Mar-a-Lago needs to be renamed Bajo el Mar?

[BoRaGard]

19. It's already widely known as Aseo del mar

[Srkdqltr]

7. Gee, it's a shame no one said anything until now.

Do people still live in them? Who cleans up after them when they fall in?

[ananda]

22. Snarky laugh here.

Yes, such a shame.

[travelingthrulife]

8. It would 't be unexpected if they allowed discussion of and preparation for climate change.

[Auggie]

9. I always think of John D MacDonald's "Condominium" when hear stories like this

[SharonAnn]

14. Me too!

[Auggie]

16. A direct hit from one strong storm, you know?

[Wicked Blue]

10. Awwwwwww...

[Karasu]

11. "Unexpected" by Florida standards, or actual scientific standards?

[RainCaster]

12. You mistake me for someone who gives a $hit

So Republicanville is sinking, and much of this is due to a lack of building codes that the conservatives didn't want?

[Botany]

13. Al Gore told you fuckers that this would happen.

n/t

[not fooled]

17. But now that they've voted in donnie dumbass

all of this inconvenient reality just vanishes, right?

As one of chimpy's minions said (paraphrasing), "We create our own reality."

These idiots act as though reality doesn't matter.

[Aussie105]

18. Nothing to see here.

Just Mother Nature redrawing coastlines around the world, helped along by climate change.

Your million dollar penthouse might not be worth much once the word gets out it is part of a major widespread sinking and leaning problem.

Does 'code' specify foundations should go down to bedrock, and not build if that isn't possible?

[RealityBasedNewYorkr]

20. Thoughts and prayers

Climate change is a myth, right?

[LilElf70]

21. Blame the sea level. Water

The strange part is: Water, the sun, and fire have a double meaning. Humankind can't live without any of these valuable resources.

They can be our friend, and our enemy. That's up to us for the most part. We caused global warming, and now we pay.

And with Trump in there, Mr. drill baby drill, guess which direction we're heading?

I've said it for decades. We're killing ourselves a slow death. And apparently, over 50% of people in this country don't believe it. Look at the water situation. It's just a matter of time until we totally pollute all of it. Imagine life without water. Yeah, no one survives that. And even today, no one is making clean water a priority.

[AntiFascist]

23. Meanwhile, the ice caps are melting n/t

[FakeNoose]

25. There will always be the next generation of retirees who want to buy property in Florida

The property sellers in Florida - especially Miami but anywhere south of Orlando - are counting on our IGNORANCE. Anyone who actually knows how dangerous and unstable the ground is, would never invest their retirement money in South Florida property.

[yaesu]

27. I don't give a rats ass, they can go cry to dear leader tRump. nt

[dem4decades]

28. Not a problem at the Trump properties, his sharpee will fix it.

See, it's level now.

[louis-t]

30. I have a client who is very wealthy. He wanted to buy property

in South Beach. I set him up with an agent there. When he came back, I asked him how it went. He said he won't be buying property there, as "the entire area will be under water in 10 years". Oh, did I forget to mention this guy is an environmental engineer?

P.s. Not to mention the infiltration of sea water into fresh water.

[Prairie Gates]

33. Thaaaat's a shame

Anyway, what's for breakfast?

[mahina]

34. Yuck. Just the plumbing problems alone, yikes.

Talk about paddling up sh*t creek! Good luck to all.

[WestMichRad]

35. Slip sliding away

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