The Problem With Miami Beach's High-Rises

In a deeply reported piece in The New York Times, Matthew Shaer examines the risks faced by Miami Beach's many high-rise condo buildings, a risk made painfully clear by the June 2021 collapse of a Surfside high-rise. With 98 fatalities, the collapse was "one of the deadliest engineering failures in the history of the United States."

According to James McGuinness, chief building official for Surfside, "This terrible tragedy, which is a national tragedy, is going to change the building codes as they relate to certification and all existing buildings." McGuinness warned that the soil that buildings are built on is an important factor, particularly in coastal zones where existing land is often shored up with infill.

But meaningful reform, of the kind McGuinness imagined, has long been notoriously hard to enact. Florida has roughly 1.5 million residential condo units — among the most of any state — and a highly lucrative condo and co-op industry with many powerful players, from management companies and developers to firms specializing in condo law. Historically, these groups, and the lobbyists who represent them, have successfully pushed back against any policy they view as constrictive or unduly expensive.

Built at the turn of the 20th century on a foundation of former mangrove swamps, Miami Beach is home to hundreds of aging buildings that face similar risks to Champlain Towers. Experts say the state must urgently strengthen regulations that hold developers accountable for the safety of their projects, regulations described in more detail in the source article. Many residents, Shaer writes, find themselves in a bind. "Median house prices are soaring; the real estate market is sloshing with investor cash. But the dangers of staying put are potentially even greater."