Miami’s glittering skyline has always been framed by water, but new research suggests the ground beneath some of those towers is quietly dropping faster than many experts anticipated. A detailed satellite analysis of coastal high-rises now points to dozens of structures that are not just coping with rising seas, but also with land that is slowly sinking beneath their foundations. The findings sharpen long-standing worries about how a low-lying, heavily built coastline will hold up as climate pressures intensify.
I see this work as a turning point in how the region thinks about risk: not as a distant climate abstraction, but as a measurable shift in the elevation of specific buildings people live and vacation in every day. The study’s focus on luxury condos and hotels along some of the most valuable stretches of shoreline makes the stakes impossible to ignore, for residents, investors, and local governments alike.
What the new subsidence study actually found
The latest analysis from the Univers team zeroed in on coastal structures and identified a clear pattern: a cluster of high-rises along the Atlantic edge of South Florida is experiencing measurable subsidence. Using satellite radar to track tiny changes in elevation over several years, the researchers flagged 35 specific buildings where the ground is settling. In each case, the land under the structure is moving, not in a sudden jolt, but through a slow process that can continue for many years and subtly change how a building bears its own weight.
Those 35 buildings include some of the most recognizable luxury condos and hotels in the region, with measurements showing that parts of their sites have sunk by as much as three inches over the study period. Earlier reporting described how the researchers focused on beachfront properties that rose between 2016 and 2023, then compared their movement to nearby stable reference points to isolate true ground settlement. Experts quoted in the coverage called the pattern “unexpected,” not because engineers assumed the land was perfectly still, but because the rate and concentration of movement in such high-profile locations had not been fully appreciated before.
Dozens of Miami luxury towers in the spotlight
The most eye-catching part of the findings is the roster of affected buildings, which includes Dozens of high-end condos and hotels in MIAMI and neighboring coastal cities. These are not anonymous mid-rises tucked inland, but glassy towers that market ocean views and resort-style amenities, often with price tags to match. The study’s authors singled out a string of properties along the sand where subsidence rates were higher than expected, raising questions about how those buildings will perform as sea level rise and storm surge add more stress…