# What is the future of Miami ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 10, 2015, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-future-of-miami/737169 "2015-11-10T04:29:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MrQwertyasd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@MrQwertyasd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrQwertyasd)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-future-of-miami/737169/1 "2015-11-10T04:29:15Z")
The Miami Herald tells me there has been a building boom, but I thought the place was doomed to sink into the rising seas. What’s the story with Miami ? ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-future-of-miami/737169/2 "2015-11-10T04:35:23Z")
There is a building boom and it is doomed to sink into the rising seas. ---
**Author:** ![MrQwertyasd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@MrQwertyasd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrQwertyasd)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-future-of-miami/737169/3 "2015-11-10T05:29:44Z")
So if I read you right, you are saying that Miami is doomed to sink beneath the rising seas, after a building boom ? ---
**Author:** ![dofe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ba0ec/32.png) [@dofe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dofe)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-future-of-miami/737169/4 "2015-11-10T05:57:29Z")
We are all going to die someday, but it doesn’t prevent us from waking up every morning and going into work. ---
**Author:** ![MrQwertyasd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@MrQwertyasd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrQwertyasd)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-future-of-miami/737169/5 "2015-11-10T10:51:15Z")
> [@dofe](#): > > We are all going to die someday, but it doesn’t prevent us from waking up every morning and going into work. I think the future of work in Miami looks insecure. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-future-of-miami/737169/6 "2015-11-10T11:50:58Z")
> [@MrQwertyasd](#): > > So if I read you right, you are saying that Miami is doomed to sink beneath the rising seas, after a building boom ? It is true that right now Miami is going through a building boom. There are construction sites for large hotels and condos everywhere. You can’t drive five minutes on Biscayne Boulevard without seeing one. The above stated, the entire southern half of Florida, including Miami, is ultimately doomed. Florida could see a sea level rise by the end of the century of up to 4 feet, which would be devastating to Miami. The increasing number of storm pumps that are being installed citywide are helping with the flooding local businesses experience at high tide but this is not a long-term solution. ---
**Author:** ![MrQwertyasd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@MrQwertyasd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrQwertyasd)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-future-of-miami/737169/7 "2015-11-10T12:22:36Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > It is true that right now Miami is going through a building boom. There are construction sites for large hotels and condos everywhere. You can’t drive five minutes on Biscayne Boulevard without seeing one. > > The above stated, the entire southern half of Florida, including Miami, is ultimately doomed. Florida could see a sea level rise by the end of the century of up to 4 feet, which would be devastating to Miami. The increasing number of storm pumps that are being installed citywide are helping with the flooding local businesses experience at high tide but this is not a long-term solution. I’m given to understand that Florida is sinking a bit too. And then there’s James Hansen’s recent paper on sea level that says it may have been underestimated. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-future-of-miami/737169/8 "2015-11-10T12:25:56Z")
> [@MrQwertyasd](#): > > I’m given to understand that Florida is sinking a bit too. And then there’s James Hansen’s recent paper on sea level that says it may have been underestimated. What is your interest in this, if I may ask? ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-future-of-miami/737169/9 "2015-11-10T12:49:41Z")
Do the people doing the building believe in climate change? ---
**Author:** ![MrQwertyasd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@MrQwertyasd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrQwertyasd)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-future-of-miami/737169/10 "2015-11-10T12:50:32Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > What is your interest in this, if I may ask? I was having a spat elsewhere on the boards about the morals of scientists. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-future-of-miami/737169/11 "2015-11-10T12:50:48Z")
Meh, don’t buy a condo on the first floor, invest in a reliable boat, and you’ll be fine. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-future-of-miami/737169/12 "2015-11-10T12:53:29Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > Do the people doing the building believe in climate change? I think they believe in turning a quick buck. Climate change lies pretty far over the horizon of people trying to get through their own personal lives in the world at present. Carpe diem. This diem. ---
**Author:** ![MrQwertyasd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@MrQwertyasd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrQwertyasd)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-future-of-miami/737169/13 "2015-11-10T13:00:41Z")
I don’t live in the US, but I have the internet and it tells me some of the top politicians in Florida are deniers. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-future-of-miami/737169/14 "2015-11-10T13:20:55Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > There is a building boom and it is doomed to sink into the rising seas. Upper floors are especially high-priced, as are boat docks. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-future-of-miami/737169/15 "2015-11-10T13:47:41Z")
Heck, nevermind rising sea level, there’s also subsidence from aquifer extraction, and to be fair barrier islands and coastal sandflats are not really so great an idea for truly long-term development, but so far for the century-and-under timeframe for returns on investment they have held up well, except for storm vulnerability. This is to be put to the test depending on how much/fast do those phenomena hit. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-future-of-miami/737169/16 "2015-11-10T13:50:34Z")
Are they building these buildings well enough to last until sea level rise floods them … seriously … 3 foot rise in a hundred years won’t be a problem with the buildings built today. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-future-of-miami/737169/17 "2015-11-10T13:54:49Z")
> [@MrQwertyasd](#): > > So if I read you right, you are saying that Miami is doomed to sink beneath the rising seas, after a building boom ? Perhaps during! ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-future-of-miami/737169/18 "2015-11-10T13:56:00Z")
> [@MrQwertyasd](#): > > I don’t live in the US, but I have the internet and it tells me some of the top politicians in Florida are deniers. GCC deniers don’t deny the seas are rising, they just blame it on natural cycles and liberals. In the mean time they’re working overtime to cash in on all the land recovery work that will be needed to maintain the tax base they can steal from. Miami isn’t going anywhere, and neither is any other valuable land. If the seas are overtaking your property then it just isn’t worth all that much. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-future-of-miami/737169/19 "2015-11-10T14:08:19Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > It is true that right now Miami is going through a building boom. There are construction sites for large hotels and condos everywhere. You can’t drive five minutes on Biscayne Boulevard without seeing one.(snip) Have you been in the traffic on Biscayne Boulevard? If you’re driving five minutes you’re still seeing the same one. It takes 10 minutes to clear an intersection in the gridlock. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-future-of-miami/737169/20 "2015-11-10T14:30:48Z")
Coastal cities all across the planet are at the same risk of rising sea level. Local political interests everywhere are the same: keep the “good times” music playing until the crap really hits the fan. Miami is in no way special in that. Mankind is now almost certainly on the hook to have most of the built-up areas worldwide converted into what Holland and New Orleans already are: stuff built below sea level and sustained only expensively and artificially. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-future-of-miami/737169.md?page=2)