Land O’ Lakes Sinkhole Debris Removal Set To Begin

LAND O’ LAKES, FL — Residents of Lake Padgett Estates hoping to see their neighborhood return to some semblance of normalcy should see some forward momentum soon. The Pasco County Commission on Monday approved expenditures of up to $1.3 million to “remove the debris, eliminate the public health threat from the debris and secure the site.”

None of the money, however, will pay for work to make the property ready to rebuild, county spokesman Doug Tobin stressed in an email to media.

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The contract for debris removal was awarded on July 31 to Ceres Environmental Services. That contract was set to not exceed $640,098.20, Tobin said. The remainder of the $1.3 million will cover such expenses as fill, water hauling, contingencies and the initial response costs already incurred by the county.

Work on the debris removal is expected to begin Tuesday morning, weather permitting. It will take at least two weeks, possibly up to four weeks, depending on the weather.

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.

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

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Photo courtesy of the Pasco County