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Seffner sinkhole
A sinkhole that swallowed a Seffner man in 2013 has reopened, according to Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.

The new hole measures 17-feet wide and 20-feet deep. Around 9 a.m., a resident walking through the area heard a loud noise and then called 911.

Emergency crews responded and determined the hole had reopened in the exact same spot as the original.

Ron Spiller, head of Hillsborough County Code Enforcement, said nearby homes are in no danger and there are no evacuations.

Spiller said when the original sinkhole was refilled, it was engineered to collapse the way it did Wednesday morning. He added that the collapse was not anticipated, but said such events are not uncommon.


"The design of the mediation was to minimize any danger to the surrounding areas and if there was to be a failure again it would occur exactly where it occurred," he said.

He said the possibility of another collapse was the very reason the area was fenced off.

Spiller believes the recent record rainfall likely contributed to the collapse. Repairs will begin within the week.

36-year-old Jeff Bush died when the original sinkhole opened up in his bedroom at 240 Faithway Drive on the night of April 30, 2013.

At the time of the collapse, Jeff woke his brother, Jeremy Bush, as he yelled for help.

Jeremy Bush tried to pull his brother from the hole, but he could not get Jeff out.

"It was something you would see in a movie. You wouldn't, in your wildest dreams, you wouldn't think anything like that could happen, especially here," he said at the time.

There were six people at the home when it collapsed, including Jeremy Bush's wife and his 2-year-old daughter.

Efforts to retrieve Jeff Bush's body were unsuccessful.

The house, along with two neighboring houses, eventually were demolished and the 30-foot wide hole filled in.

Jeremy Bush went to the site of his former home on Wednesday..He fought back tears as he looked on.

"It brings back memories. I think about it everyday. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about it," he said.

Rachael Wicker, Jeff's sister-in-law, said she wasn't totally surprised at what happened. "Kinda figured it was going to open up just by looking at it. We come here everyday to show Jeff, Jeremy's brother, that we still care for him," she said.