Florida sinkhole stops growing after swallowing houses, boat

A sinkhole that swallowed a boat and destroyed two homes had stopped growing and officials said on Saturday they would monitor it over the weekend.

The hole has been stagnant since Friday afternoon, said Kevin Guthrie, Pasco County’s assistant administrator for public safety. He confirmed that the hole, which is 76 metres wide and 15 metres deep, is the largest in three decades in the county, which has a history of sinkholes.

Dramatic video showed the home in Land O’ Lakes, north of Tampa, collapsing into the hole on Friday morning. It quickly engulfed one home and a boat and then consumed about 80 per cent of another home.

Guthrie said 11 homes in all have been affected. A third home lost about 13 metres of driveway and a septic tank.

Of the other nine evacuated homes, residents were allowed to return to four of them on Saturday afternoon.

Guthrie said all three homeowners had insurance. No injuries have been reported.

State geologists and environmental officials will continue to monitor the sinkhole to determine when the clean-up can begin. The state’s Department of Environmental Protection has requested that the county and homeowners wait a few more days before doing any recovery work.