Crews fill in the sinkhole at Seffner
The picture shows the sinkhole, the surrounding area was fenced, filled and leveled at ground level.
SEFFNER, Florida. The crater at Seffner that killed a man 10 years ago and has opened twice since – most recently earlier this month – is now full again.
Crews began the refueling process on Monday and the job was completed just a day later.
The picture shows the sinkhole, the surrounding area was fenced, filled and leveled at ground level.
In 2013, a similar sinkhole formed under a house, resulting in the death of Jeffrey Bush. Three houses had to be demolished. The pit was filled in and the site was fenced off. But in 2015 it reopened.
“No one wants to repeat [what happened]. It’s not a perfect solution,” said John-Paul Lavandeira of Hillsborough County Code Enforcement. “But if it does, let it come to a place where we can control the situation and keep everyone safe, and have a plan of attack to solve this problem.”
Luckily, the funnel seems to be stable.
County workers say that while it took several days to get everything in order and find a qualified contractor, there is no indication that any of the nearby homes are in danger.
They hope the hole doesn’t open again, but if it does, they say it’s what should have happened – a predictable, controlled opening that they can shield for public safety. And then replenish again.
10 Eric Glasser of Tampa Bay contributed to this report.
