All your house are belong to us

Most of Florida is.

Laura; Good question!! I, too, am interested to know if this is all a result of recent land development over formerly swamp land or something else. Has this area ALWAYS had problems with sinkholes appearing? Would I invest half a million bucks into a home with the knowledge that it might one day disappear into the earth? Certainly NOT! Any one out there have answers for that? New phenomenon or old news happening to new houses?

This is just a new way they reclaim foreclosures now.

I lived in Florida in the 60s and remember sinkholes forming way back then. It's just not a stable place to have a home, unfortunately.

I suspect this woman wasn't covered by insurance either. I don't think basic homeowner's covers this sort of thing; you have to buy special coverage.

“She sort of laid her head on my shoulder and cried,”

Yep. I think that's what I would do.

Boooooooooogus.

I live about a quarter mile from this house. The backyard of the house borders a retention pond. If I am not mistaken, this house is at the end of the cul-d-sac, and at the end of the pond. We have gone through a period of very little rain, but have had quite a bit of rain recently and I'm sure that plays a major role in this. And if I am not mistaken, this house is not in the "beacon woods estates" area, that is just a bit further south than this.

People need to remember that florida is nothing but sand with aquifers below. Sinkholes form all the time and swallow up roads and houses.

Sink hole swallowing up everything you own...sounds like my ex wife.

You couldn't pay me to own a house in Florida anymore. You can almost bet that any house is built on what was a swamp at one time. The entire state is a swamp.

If you look at all the small lakes that run across central Florida I wouldn't be surprised if the majority of them didn't start as sink holes.

People need to remember that florida is nothing but sand with aquifers below. Sinkholes form all the time and swallow up roads and houses.

Uh...move already.

It never fails: news cameras focus in on the trailer homes in Oklahoma, which seem to be targets for twisters. "This is the third twister this month to hit this park!" somebody will insist. And then you look over their shoulders at all of the homes...with wheels still attached.

That has nothing to do with it; I'm in St. Petersburg and it happens sometimes; that's Florida. I have friends out of state who'd love to live here..uh huh - it's not all it's cracked up to be but hey for now for various reasons, it's home and I deal with it. When I've had enough, I'll go back home to Chicago.

Nah, Music. I'd take my chances on the sinkholes! ;)

Ummm, they happen all of the time! I live in central florida, one opens up almost every month. Over 25 years ago one ate half of a car dealership. Winter Park Sinkhole; look it up.
The reason they happen is because the aquifer gets emptied and then collapses. It is going to get worse as everyone drains the water out of the state. Bottling plants are now buying the St. John's River for bottling and will make it even worse as our rain fall is not what it use to be. This place is a desert in some areas, look at Google Earth, and is getting worse by the year.

As for the "I wouldn't live there comments", I am sure I can find some kind of excuse not to live by you either. Every place on the PLANET has its dangers. Grow up!

"...everyone drains the water out of the state."

What? Do they all piss in the ocean?

Nice try.. A lot and I mean a LOT of states are having water problems because of over consumption.

Next time you come camping in Florida get the spanish moss from the ground around your camp. It makes excellent bedding.

I am a third generation Floridian ..my children are fourth...Florida is not all swampland..I actually grew up in pasco county..SOME of the houses were built where cypress swamps were...but the majority of the problems have come close to where these county planners have insisted on putting in "retention" ponds

On a lighter not..I love the old german woman who declares to all..."my home is full of crack!" LOL tooo funny....ohhh and Dave...I think they would be better off picking the spanish moss out of the trees for their sleeping bags ...hehehehe

hehehe

If global warming keeps up and the polar ice melts, sinkholes in Florida will become irrelavent. If that happens people will want FEMA to bail them out and you know who will pay.

Global Warming is all hype. Proven time and again by REAL scientists. The earth ebbs adn flows. Temps go up and then come down. All BS

What's your education level 25sed? I'm guessing not very high by your rhetoric. Here's a factor you should consider, sure climates have changed over time, but let me ask you this. 1, 5, 100 million years ago was there a civilization cutting down trees (which take in carbon dioxide) while at the same time releasing record amounts of carbon dioxide?

Everytime a volcano erupts the amount of carbon dioxide releases is monumental, and the earth is built to handle natural disasters like this. The problem is, even if volcanoes are no longer erupting, we're releasing comparable amounts of pollution while also removing the earth's buffer to it. In short, climate change is a natural occurrence - the problem is we're increasing the extremes at which it swings.

I'm a Civil/Environmental Engineer by the way.

hahaha 727....I though pasco was the white crackhead and pillhead capital of the world. especially along 19, 52, 54, and the moon lake area. What in the world made me decide to move here. Even the fishing sucks compared to the rest of the state.

OK. That's a start...

Alex Le-4132639

So what you're saying is that the trees we're cutting down, which are in forests which for the most part are less than 10,000 years old, is causing a rise of temperature on the planet?

Can you explain what happened about 1000 years ago when the Norwegians were living on Greenland and the glaciers weren't nearly as large as they are now? Was that us cutting the trees down way back then causing the Earth to heat up too? The "scientists" that are complaining about GCC (global climate change), are pointing to the fact that houses that the Norwegians built in Greenland are being exposed by the melting of the glaciers there, because it's all our fault and we need to "clean up the planet", but have totally failed to realize that if there is evidence of houses being there that are over 1000 years old, then the glacier must have melted to that point WAAYYY back then, LONG before the industrial revolution. Please explain that if you can. I'm in IT, so I guess I must be too dumb to know the technical stuff like a civil engineer.

Please explain that if you can.

Dinosaur flatulence.

We maybe in a warming trend before the next ice age cycle that has nothing to do with green house gas, but changes in the earths' interior conditions heating the polar areas of the mantle.

Get out of there Bobby and move south past Tarpon to civilization, leave your hoe behind too as you can do much better!

Global warming has nothing do do with this sinkhole. Look out the window when you fly to Disney, guess how most of the hundreds of lakes you see were formed?? Sinkholes..........

Alex Le--a civil engineer gave the ok on the Skywalk at the Hyatt Regency in Kansas City too. He just forgot to take into account some 'other factors.

I'm a great believer in doing what we can to lessen the effects of pollution, but when someone tries to take the last 100 years or so, extrapolate it to what happened 10K years ago, and try to sell us 'technology' I get a little leery.

Case in Point--Robyn Carnehan, who is a State Government official in MO ( and daughter of the famous ex Governor who three weeks after he died STILL beat out John Ashcroft in the Senate race that year.) managed to steer some stimulus funds to her brother, who has a 'wind farm' in MO. GREAT idea, wind farms, right? harvest a natural source for electricity, clean and green, save money etc. right? NOT so much. See, in MO we don't HAVE constant steady winds, so you will still have to be hooked up to Ameren MO, so that you can still get your fridge to run when the wind dies down. ONLY--Ameren will then be charging you at a higher rate since you use less electricity, but want it at 'peak times'. (Solar panels have the same drawback in MO) See, MO has plenty of ways to produce electricity--we already have 2 big dams, one of which generates, and the other of which doesn't, because they discovered that when they switch on those turbines, it chops up the fish (now that's green!) and they flow down into the OTHER lake. We have two of the biggest rivers in the country we could dam, but you see, MAKING the electricity is not the problem, STORING it until needed IS.

And for much of the last 30 years, we were told that using florescent bulbs was green since they use so much less electricity, but now those are a no no too, because if they get broken when you throw them away, the GAS is not good. So we should all buy the newer, more expensive Hallogen bulbs, right?

Pardon me if I don't think that at least SOME of the 'scientific evidence of global warming is partly driven by the companies that want you to BUY their latest thing.

I retrofitted every lamp/fixture in my house with florescent bulbs (except the one over the dining room table, and I'm sticking to that, because guess what? HALLOGENS put out HEAT. And I have a lot more trouble staying cool in this house than I do warm.

I'm a Civil/Environmental Engineer by the way.

Ahhh that explains it. someone that wasted too much money getting a degree that caused them to lose all common sense.

Uhmmm... yeah, the insurance settlement was the mortgage companies. They put the money out for the house.

Whatever your late friend and her husband put in would come out of the proceeds only when the mortgage was paid. That money wasn't a gift to them, it was only a loan.

That's what I thought would happen, but my friend's husband thought all the money was going to him. I guess the mortgage company would have to repair the sink hole or something. Not sure how that would work. I would imagine a house is pretty worthless with a sinkhold problem though.

Why should the city relocate all of them. It is not the city's fault. It is the individuals who build or bought homes in know areas of land fills, or areas of marshlands. All the information on the land and soil is in the surveyors offices before you purchase. They are supposed to have insurance. If they don't then it is their loss.

I'm wondering why you consider this the city's responsibility? Should all of the city taxpayers pay to relocate these people?

Yea, that's a good idea, have the government (really the taxpayers) pay for it. We are not paying enough now!!!

Notice that they used the words NATURAL disaster that means suck wind in English, no insurance will cover that one. Now the city probably could be held labile since they had to issue building permits, We all are just going to have to wait and see on this one.

That is the point of having a city government. It is not about fault, it is about helping people who need it, and keeping people safe. Clearly, people who live in an area where the earth tends to swallow the up are not safe. I don't necessarily think the city should foot the bill for moving everyone out of the area, but they should do something.

Almost all of FL underground is limestone, fossil shell & coral. There was also a good bit of phosphate too in central FL. The underground aquifers erodes the limestone & causes a lot of the sink holes I think.

Isn't the city supposed to survey the land as part of zoning it for residential use or is the law different in Florida (I am pretty sure they do here in AZ)? If so and they did not disclose the dangers of sinkholes it would be on the city. Personally why contractors are allowed to build on property that is in an area known for sink holes is beyond me. It just makes common sense not to go goad mother nature by placing yourself in intentional danger.

I have the same problem with people building houses in flood plains. They are labeled so for a reason and then they are surprised when they get flooded out.

Why do people build homes on the banks of the Mississippi when they know it floods nearly every years?

Sinkhole home people are the same type of people. Just like the millions living in Tornado Alley.

You don't worry about until it happens.

good luck getting someone to purchase the home.

Ultimate responsibility is the City because the builder applied for the permit.The city looked at the federal survey map and ignored the report and issued the builder a permit. The city therefore is grossly negligent to say the least.

Hey Steve! I'm guessing that you too know idiots who live along the Rock river.

I can't muster up any sympathy for these people (people on the Rock river). The damned thing floods every spring AND every fall. Their houses are actually up on stilts (the "smart" ones anyway). WTH???

How about those million dollar view homes built into the sides of cliffs in California? Why do they act surprised when they slide off in torrential rain?

Goewil... no the city doesn't survey the property. They DO general surveys and designate areas as residential, commercial, mixed use etc.

Regardless, a normal 'survey' wouldn't pick up sinkholes. Surveys only put property lines in place.

Of course, anyone building in an area prone to sinkholes WOULD be advised to have a geologic survey done. It's pricey, but would catch sinkholes, fault lines and a myriad of other anomalies underground.

Steve: Do yourself a big favor and Google Sinkhole, and see how they occur. One cannot predict where they will happen, when they happen or the size. It is not like building a house on a river that floods.

I once saw a BMW Dealership sink over a period of days in Florida. The entire showroom and new car lot. Huge claim. You can't walk out on the lot and try and drive them off. You can't predict tornadoes either. Stuff happens, and life is unpredicatble, unless you live on a river that floods every year or two.

JMCINVALE-

Yes, the city should relocate the people at risk... and the city of San Francisco should do the same for those who might be at risk for earthquakes... idiot!

I don't think there are any cities in Pasco county. Maybe New Port Richey over on the gulf coast.

Steve L.-2369556

Why do people build homes on the banks of the Mississippi when they know it floods nearly every years?

Sinkhole home people are the same type of people. Just like the millions living in Tornado Alley.

You don't worry about until it happens.

Sinkholes are pretty rare. At the rate of 150 /yr if you assume 8 million houses in Florida that's only .0019 % chance of your house getting eaten...pretty damn safe.

What's that noise? Arrrrrggggggh......

Whew...it's ok, thought it was a sink hole, but it was just global warming approaching.

Seriously though, I live in Lakeland/Winter Haven, FL and there's a lake every 1/2 mile and worse, a Baptist church every 500 ft.

Steve--people build homes on the banks of the Mississippi for one of three reasons: 1)access to easy transportation back in the day, 2) to be close to the best farmland in the WORLD, and have easy access to the transportation to get your crops out, or 3) for the VIEW.

The question is not WHY they build there but whether that should be anyone else's responsibility to 'make them whole every 10 years or so. And the answer to that is NO. You know the risk, and if you do not have insurance, that is no one else's fault but your own. And if you don't have your house 'built up' etc, to avoid flooding, ditto.

As to whether the city where this sinkhole being responsible for bailing out this woman? In my area, MOST subdivisions were built OUTSIDE the City Limits (Land was cheaper) and only annexed AFTER they were built. But the fact is, MOST cities do not have the resources to bail out individuals who 'forgot' to do due diligence on choosing an insurance agent who WARNS you of the potential risks and how much coverage for that is going to cost. And sadly, most of the time the homeowner 'takes that risk' by NOT getting that insurance.

island soul, they have Zephyrhills in Pasco Co. on the east side of the Co. It's not very big 13,172 ppl. 2009 est. I could be wrong but I think it's the co. seat. My BIL & my wife's family lives there.

I was wrong Dade City is the co. seat. New Port Richey is the largest. they're quite a few small towns in Pasco.

jimcinvale, in Philly there are homes in the Logan area of the city which were built decades ago over trash dumps and those houses are now starting to shift and fall down. My ex and I had an executive type home built in NJ in the 80s and we later learned there was a covered over (by grass) trash dump nearby. Next thing ya know, the township began leaving water testing bottles on all our porches just about every month. Uh oh. Glad we got out.

I was just wondering if she had sinkhole insurance or if she was having the property evaluated because she wanted to get sinkhole coverage.

Now Bobber, go stand in the corner after getting your mouth washed out with soap. You are to be allowed to show your ignorance. Now be a good little idiot boy and go to the corner...quickly! Remember to suck your thumb to make the time pass faster.

you must live in arizona

In AZ it's Fishers not sink holes we have problems with! To much ground water being used.

bubba, It's the same in central FL too many people. The aquifers can't recharge fast enough.

Too many people move here, they use too much water, the caverns collapse and sinkholes occur. Stay in your own states and we wouldn't have this problem. It always happens when the aquifers get too low.

Too much strain on water resources causes them. It's as simple as that.

If the developer built on unstable ground and he knew it, yeah, it's his fault.

Southern... then stop building in FL. It's nothing but sandstone, limestone and little else.

You can have a geotech and soils engineer out there have the report compact the soil, but if a sink hole is going to open it's coming no matter what they find!

if the policy was written before 2004 most likley it was included ours was and the insurance company paid out our policy

Sinkholes and mine subsidence can happen anywhere. My parents home, located in the northeast part of the country was affected by mine subsidence along their sidewalk and driveway and needed repairs some years ago. Fortunately, the house itself was OK and I hope it stays that way.

http://www.csmonitor.com/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Sinkholes-around-the-world

Very sad that this happened to Ms. Minutillo. Hope that she has a supportive family.

Great point! In Phila. years ago an entire neighborhood was found to be sinking. It turns out that more than 900 homes and businesses had been built over a sunken stream. The developers used ash and other inappropriate materials as fill. After many years the underground stream washed away the fill and the entire area began to sink. That part of the Logan neighborhood is now mostly empty lots. A few of the damaged buildings remain, but the area is vacant.

On the bright side, the economy has slowed down Fla. growth.

@ R U Sure; And Disney sucks it right back out..

That must of been a good while back. There are no orange groves around Tampa anymore.

People over-watering their lawns drain the aquifer as efficiently as orange grove owners. Don't the folks in your neighborhood have to water on alternate days according to their address numbers? Why do you suppose that is? It's to keep the aquifer from being drained dry and prevent sinkholes from opening up everywhere in the state of Florida.

Yep...central Florida has been in a dry spell for about 7 years now and the water tables are ridiculously low, as are the lakes themselves, some can't even get their boats in the water off their hoists...not good.

A perk test won't show a fragile limestone aquifer hundreds of feet below the surface.

There is evidence of ancient sinkholes in Florida, so this is not a new phenomenon

Perk tests have nothing to do with sinkholes. Sinkholes are a result of over-development and overpopulation.

They do, yes.