SEFFNER, Fla. — Plans have stalled to fill the sinkhole in Seffner that re-opened for a third time in 10 years.
Hillsborough County officials said it’s being delayed due to logistics. According to officials, the sinkhole is about 19 feet deep and 16 feet wide.
It first opened in 2013, claiming the life of 36-year-old Jeffrey Bush when the hole swallowed him in his home. The county tore down his home and the ones next to it, filling the hole and fencing off the area. The hole then re-opened for the first time in 2015.
Crews will use the same method from 2015 of gravel and water to fill the hole again and prevent it from spreading.
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“You don’t want this to repeat. Nobody wants this to happen. This isn’t the ideal solution, but this method of doing it, if it were to repeat, it controls it to basically forcing it to reoccur in the exact same spot,” said Hillsborough County Code Enforcement Division Director Jon-Paul Lavandeira.
Officials said it’s estimated that it will take 150 cubic yards of gravel to fill the sinkhole. The process can take between two to three days to close the hole.
According to county officials, no other homes are in danger, but some people who live nearby are still concerned.
“Coming from New York, I don’t know a lot of information about sinkholes. They have told me that sinkholes travel. In the beginning, when I moved here, I didn’t sleep. I was scared because of that and seeing this now worries me,” said Yesenia Nieves.
Officials have not given a timeline yet on when the filling of the sinkhole will begin but tell ABC Action News there is a sense of urgency.
