Fix For Sinkhole That Ate 2 Homes Won't Be Quick: County

LAND O’ LAKES, FL — The sinkhole that opened up in Land O’ Lakes on Friday, swallowing two homes and boat, may take months to fully mediate, Pasco County officials said Saturday morning. Estimated to be 225 feet in diameter and about 50 feet deep, the hole continued to threaten nine nearby homes that had been tagged as unsafe and were evacuated.

While the hole showed no continued signs of expanding as of 9 a.m. Saturday, county officials say the area is still being closely monitored and cordoned off. Septic tank and building debris concerns have also prompted the county to treat “this as a hazmat incident,” county spokesman Doug Tobin wrote in a July 15 email to media.

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The sinkhole opened up behind a home at 21825 Ocean Pines Drive early Friday morning. Pasco County officials received a call about 7:21 a.m. July 14. Fire rescue crews arrived on the scene at 7:36 a.m. and reported a depression about the size of a “small pool.” The hole, however, continued to expand, eventually demolishing the homes at 21825 and 21835 Ocean Pines Drive. A boat on the property at 21825 Ocean Pines Drive was also destroyed when the sinkhole first opened, Tobin said.

The county is now working to enter the recovery phase, Tobin said. That involves working with geological experts to determine when evacuated residents may be able to return home and meeting with affected homeowners and insurance companies to start mitigation, he added.

Recovery may “take weeks/months,” Tobin wrote.

As recovery begins, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office intends to keep an active presence in the Lake Padgett community where the sinkhole opened. A perimeter set up around the area will remain in place as long as it’s needed, the sheriff’s office reported Saturday. Residents who have been evacuated and need to get items out of their homes will be able to do so over the weekend, the sheriff’s office said.

Residents in need of assistance may call United Way of Pasco County at 211, Tobin said.

Video of the sinkhole destroying one of the homes can be viewed below:

Photo courtesy of the Pasco County Sheriff's Office