Florida sinkhole
© Scripps Media
A 200-foot sinkhole that swallowed two homes and emptied a Pasco County neighborhood this morning is still growing, officials warned, and may reach all the way to a nearby lake.

The home at 21835 Ocean Pines Drive in Land O' Lakes fell into the watery hole this morning and the muddy pit has now claimed much of a neighboring home. Firefighters said they got a 911 call just after 7 a.m. and the hole grew within minutes after that.

The view from SkyFOX showed a mess of mud and debris. A Pasco County Emergency Management spokesman estimated it was 50 feet deep, 220 feet wide, and expected to continue to grow.


Deputies have cordoned off a portion of the neighborhood and are only allowing residents with identification into the area to get valuables from the evacuated homes -- in some cases, accompanied by firefighters.

No injuries have been reported. Eleven homes have been evacuated so far, though there could still be more.

"If we need to come and knock on your door, you should be ready to go. We will continue to back this up about 100 feet at a time or whatever the building inspector tells us," said Kevin Guthrie, assistant county administrator. "This is a very fluid situation. The sinkhole, by no means, is stable."

Initially, authorities called the hole a "depression" but have since categorized it as a sinkhole -- an important distinction for insurance purposes. Two state geologists are expected to arrive and further evaluate the scene this afternoon, but full repairs could take weeks or months.

The hole is just one yard away from an arm of Lake Saxon, and officials are worried that if it continues growing, it will ultimately reach the lake itself, further inundating the neighborhood.

"Mother Nature is going to take what Mother Nature is going to take," Guthrie added late this morning.

County records show that a 50-foot-deep sinkhole on the site was remediated in 2014 at a cost of over $30,000, but more details were not immediately available.

Sinkholes are a regular occurrence in Central Florida due to the nature of the state's geology. Smaller holes are common, though they have been known to damage and even destroy entire homes.

In 2013, a hole opened suddenly underneath a home in Seffner, killing a man as he slept, then reopened two years later.