Land O’ Lakes Sinkhole Claims 7th Home

LAND O’ LAKES, FL — As the full extent of the damage created by the Land O’ Lakes sinkhole becomes evident, Pasco County officials announced Monday that another home had been condemned. The most recent addition to the list brings the total number of homes deemed a total loss to seven.

The latest casualty of the sinkhole is located at 21845 Ocean Pines Drive. On Sunday, the county also reported homes at 21748 Ocean Pines Drive and 3153 Canal Place had been condemned. Two homes along Ocean Pines Drive were deemed losses on Aug. 5 after the sinkhole expanded by an estimated 30 feet between Thursday night and Saturday morning. The five condemned properties add to the original two homes that were swallowed when the sinkhole opened on July 14.

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As of Saturday morning, the county said the sinkhole had grown to about 260 feet in width at its widest point. It previously measured between 225 and 235 feet. On Monday, Kevin Guthrie, assistant county administrator for public safety, said the sinkhole no longer appears to be active based on information he has received. The county’s building inspector, however, is visiting the area surrounding the hole daily, checking on the safety and stability of homes that surround it.

Work to clean up and stabilize the area continues. As of Monday, Aug. 7 at 7 a.m., Guthrie said 125 dump trucks of uncrushed lime rock had been brought to the site over the weekend. Five semi loads of debris were removed from the site on Saturday.

The county’s part of the cleanup effort is budgeted to cost as much as $1.3 million. Guthrie reported Monday that total costs may come in closer to $1 million. The county is working to clean up debris and stabilize the sinkhole. Its part of the recovery effort does not involve making the land suitable for rebuilding, officials have said.

“The current cleanup phase is to only clean up the debris and stabilize the banks,” Guthrie said. It also involves decontaminating water on the site. The first phase of cleanup is hoped to be completed by Aug. 18, Guthrie said.

As the recovery effort continues, the county has placed four safety officers around the sinkhole to monitor for any changes, county spokesman Doug Tobin said over the weekend. “If anything should change, we will notify neighbors door-to-door if they need to evacuate.” Residents are advised to watch out for heavy trucks in the neighborhood. Those in need of help may call United Way at 211.

The sinkhole in question opened up behind a home at 21825 Ocean Pines Drive shortly before 7:21 a.m. July 14. Pasco County 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. The hole was estimated to be about 225 feet in diameter and about 50 feet deep before it started expanding over the past few days.

More information on the recovery efforts can be found on the county’s website.

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Photo courtesy of the Pasco County