Florida sinkhole that ‘swallowed’ man in 2013 opens up again

WFLA reported that the new hole is 17-feet in diameter and 20-feet deep.

[Photos: Sinkhole swallowed man in Florida home].

No one has been injured, no buildings have been compromised and no vehicles are involved, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue said Wednesday morning.

Jeff Bush was killed two years ago when a hole opened, taking him and part of his home with it. His brother, Jeremy Bush, and four other people were in the home at the time, but Jeff was the only one killed. Emergency responders pulled him out, and Jeffery Bush’s body was never recovered.

Officials say recent heavy rains likely contributed to the hole’s reopening. That house and the two homes on either side of it were later demolished.

“It’s not uncommon for this type of settlement to occur when voids like this happen”, said Michelle Van Dyke, a county spokeswoman. Wednesday’s sinkhole is on a vacant lot that is now surrounded by a metal fence.

“‘I’m pretty certain Muppet knew something was going on, ‘ she said”.

Florida is highly prone to sinkholes because there are caverns below ground of limestone, a porous rock that easily dissolves in water.

State law requires insurers to cover “catastrophic ground cover collapse”, according to the insurance regulation agency.