Culture Shock: Is Miami Losing Its Identity to "Soulless Condos"?

With the influx of newcomers and luxury condominiums sprouting like dandelions in a field, Miami is becoming nearly unrecognizable to some locals. Many residents feel the Miami metro area is losing its identity as historically significant buildings are being demolished in favor of exorbitantly priced new developments that are driving longtime denizens out of town.

The wave of redevelopment and gentrification raises the question: Is Miami losing its identity, or is it a city that has always been defined by rapid, often unforgiving change?

The metro area has undergone several growth spurts throughout its history, from the 1920s land boom that marked the birth of Miami as a modern city, through the 1970s and '80s growth fueled by the cocaine trade. But some Miamians say it feels different this time around.

In a recent Reddit thread, folks gave their two cents about what to make of the rapid changes over the last few years.

"With another soulless condo being built on top of the ruins of old Miami architecture, I can't help but feel like we are losing a part of Miami for good," one commenter posted. "What makes Miami great is the culture in each neighborhood, and we're losing that almost every day."

"Born and raised. This isn't the Miami I knew even 20 years ago. It's so sad; what used to be very unique is now generic and soulless," another user said. "I always took the good with the bad of Miami and that's what made it home."

While some lamented the recent transformation — with unfavorable analogies to Los Angeles or New York City — others argued Miami is a city that will always be evolving thanks in large part to the influx of northern transplants itching for warmer weather and tax benefits, in addition to South Florida's long history as a popular destination for migrants fleeing uncertainty and turmoil.

"I lived here most of my life. Miami always been changing," a commenter contended. "It changes faster than the rest of the country and more dramatically. Miami has more immigrants than ever, and that culture that comes with immigrants plus the existing culture will create a new one. Nothing ever stays the same."

What’s not up for debate is that Miami is experiencing a housing crisis that has pushed countless residents, many of whom grew up in South Florida, out of the area. Housing prices have risen nationwide, but Miami outpaced the trend and became the least affordable real estate market in the nation in the post-COVID era, relative to median income.
Historian Paul George tells New Times that the past few years have been unparalleled in terms of spawning an affordability crisis for residents. By contrast, the cocaine-fueled development boom of the '70s and '80s affected a relatively compact area of the city and never spawned the systemic, widespread housing-affordability issues Miami is experiencing today, George says.

"In the 1980s, you would look at the redefinition of the Brickell Avenue corridor, which turned blocks with these traditional mansions, which went back to the 1920s, into high-rises," George says. "But it really affected a smaller area. Now, the area changing is vast. It's within communities that are far away from the bay. Communities are changing enormously, and this is unprecedented what's happening. It has gotten so pricey for people."

Over the past few months, New Times has spoken to Miami residents who moved away from South Florida for financial reasons. Some expressed nostalgia for the region — a nagging desire to return and be closer to family — while others were less rueful about their departure.

One former Miami-area resident says life has been quiet since she left.

"There's currently nothing to do around where I live now in Marion County. Even getting deliveries or services done is a major pain in the ass and takes forever. Can't even get Uber Eats," she tells New Times.

The resident, who grew up in West Kendall and lived in South Florida for much of her life, says she left the area because it became far too expensive. Her current housing costs in Ocala are less than half of what she was paying to rent a one-bedroom apartment in Hollywood.

"The thing I miss the most is the culture. There's just nothing like Miami culture. Even having lived in another state, I still stand by that statement," she says.

Turning back to the Great Reddit Debate, one user argued rapid change is inherent to Miami, pointing out how the city evolved when Henry Flagler created the Florida East Coast Railway and how the exodus of Cubans to Miami-Dade following the Cuban Revolution transformed countless neighborhoods, making the Magic City what it is today in terms of cultural identity.

"Why does everybody complain about Miami being a major city?" the user wrote. "It's been growing at an unprecedented rate since before any of us were born. The Magic City nickname comes from that. If you were born here, you know that things from your childhood have been changing every year. You'll look back in 20 years and think this time was better."

Other residents didn't blame "transplants" for Miami's rapid change but instead pointed the finger at politicians for bending over backward to court developers.

"They are selling out to developers with no infrastructure plan," one commenter wrote. "With all the farmland west of 157th, it's just going to keep getting worse. In Kendall, there are two Kendall Drive communities going up that look like NYC projects. I moved to Miami in 2009, working in Doral. The city has changed so much in just 15 years. It's another city I dread driving in, even in the afternoon."

The post-pandemic development boom — and associated liftoff in local real estate prices — was partly driven by a flood of out-of-state residents and South American investors entering the market and driving up demand. Meanwhile, longtime Miami property owners, even those with manageable mortgages, have faced housing-cost hardship in the form of a dizzying rise in home insurance prices.

Miami-Dade County has an estimated shortage of more than 90,000 affordable units for renter households making below $75,000. A recent report found that more than $1.5 billion in gap funding is urgently needed to develop the nearly 13,700 affordable units that are in the pipeline in Miami-Dade but do not have proper financing. The research group Miami Homes for All warns that the housing shortage could become too far out of reach if action is not taken soon.

George, a prolific author on Florida history and resident historian at HistoryMiami Museum, says the housing crisis has gotten "out of hand."

"A lot of money is coming in from New York, and there are a lot of these corporations buying that have tons of money, so it's hard to compete with them or put cash down for a building," George says. "There is this perception that the city has become a very wealthy person's place to live, which is scary for most people."

George sees a silver lining to Miami’s growth, noting that the downtown development is helping the city establish a vibrant urban core essential to a thriving metropolis. He sees some elements of Miami's evolution as reminiscent of development in Dallas or Nashville, cities with growing economies.

For what it's worth, next year marks the 100-year anniversary of the peak of the development wave in the 1920s that put Miami on the map of major American cities.

"We're a year away from the centennial. That wasn’t the first boom, but it was one that completely transformed this area and took it from what I think was a frontier community, to an emerging metropolitan area,” George says.

The following year, the Great Miami Hurricane of 1926 ravaged South Florida, marking one of the final blows to the local real estate bubble of the 1920s.