The authors of the study used satellite-based Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar, known as InSAR, to document the sink rate for 35 Miami Beach buildings over the last decade. The findings show that some structures have sunk into the ancient limestone and sand beneath them at a rate of about 2 centimeters from 2016 to 2023. But others, on Sunny Isles Beach and Surfside, have dropped more than 8 centimeters, or about three inches, raising new concerns for insurance underwriters and claims handlers.<\/p>\n The sinking structures include the famous, 60-story Porche Design Tower, which has seen many complaints from residents about cracking and leaking, and Trump Tower III, which is settling at almost a centimeter per year.<\/p>\n Some subsidence is expected for most skyscrapers, and it usually ceases shortly after construction, according to news reports. But the sink rate on parts of crowded Miami Beach barrier islands suggest the sink rate is worsening. More recent subsidence measurements correlate to construction-induced problems. It\u2019s probable that differential rates of subsidence could lead to exacerbated structural issues and more insurance claims.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are no indications that subsidence will come to a stop,\u201d the study concludes. \u201cFor structures subsiding at a constant rate this is obvious. For structures exhibiting a true exponential decay in subsidence, it could eventually cease. However, nearby construction vibrations are likely to restart the grain rearrangement process, leading to a renewed acceleration of subsidence.\u201d<\/p>\n The study noted that Champlain Towers South, which collapsed in 2021, killing 98 people, showed no signs of subsidence before the disaster. Engineering reports have blamed the collapse mostly on deteriorated support columns at the 40-year-old condominium building.<\/p>\n But the recent subsidence study noted that the 87 Park tower adjacent to the Champlain Tower site is showing signs of sinking. And \u201csubsidence of nearby low-rise buildings with relatively small structural loads \u2026 is almost certainly driven by construction activities,\u201d the study concluded.<\/p>\n The Herald reported that it reached out to managers of all buildings cited in the study, but all declined to comment. The city of Sunny Isles Beach officials said last year that they had seen no reports of damage associated with settling.<\/p>\n The academic paper can be seen here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Top photo: Sunny Isles Beach skyline (DepositPhotos)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/study-chart-of-buildings-386x580.png\")
<\/a>Red shows subsidence from 2016 to 2023. Orange is for 2019 to 2023. From the study. Click to enlarge.<\/p>\n