SURFSIDE, Fla. – Residents of Surfside were caught off guard by new findings that several buildings in the coastal town are reportedly sinking.
“I was never aware of it, no,” said Mel David, a resident of the Carlisle on the Ocean.
David, who enjoys spending his winters in Surfside, said he was surprised to learn his building was among those identified in a new subsidence study.
“I like the weather — I like the beach — the conditions in the building are pretty good,” David said.
The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Miami, analyzed satellite data from 2016 to 2023 and identified nearly three dozen coastal buildings in the region that have sunk anywhere from two to eight centimeters.
Among the popular buildings listed in Surfside are the Fendi Château and the Surf Club.
“That’s interesting … that the building is sinking,” David said with a chuckle, adding, “I wonder if the city is going to take some steps to prevent that from happening.”
City officials are discussing the issue, with subsidence listed as an agenda item for a commission meeting on Tuesday night.
According to a city memo, a previous subsidence study conducted after the Champlain Towers South collapse concluded that subsidence alone does not cause buildings to collapse.
However, the memo also highlights concerns raised by the new findings.
It notes that additional research is needed into tidal flow and stormwater injection to fully understand the implications of subsidence in Surfside.
No city officials were available for comment ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, but residents are now left wondering how these findings might affect the future of their homes.