Massive sinkhole opens near Florida homes, closes roads

LAKELAND, Fla. - A massive sinkhole opened in Central Florida near a neighborhood and roads on Friday afternoon, according to a report by FOX 13 Tampa Bay.

A view from SkyFOX showed the sinkhole off of Scott Lake Road and Fitzgerald Road in Lakeland, Florida. The depression backs up against several homes as well as the road. 

Two homes nearby were told to evacuate, but no structural damage has been found.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office has confirmed that deputies closed off those roads until further notice.  

Polk County Roads and Drainage Director Jake Jarvis said the roads will remain closed until the sinkhole is stabilized.

Authorities are working to inspect and repair the sinkhole, and drivers are being told to find an alternate route while the area is closed off.

Polk County Fire Rescue Assistant Chief of Operations estimated the sinkhole is about 75 feet wide and has grown in size since it first opened Friday morning.

The sinkhole could be related to nearby construction, according to county officials. 

"We've been told when the well was being drilled about 180 feet down they broke through a hard layer," Jay Jarvis, the road and drainage director with Polk County, said during an afternoon briefing on the sinkhole. "And then there was pretty much a void down to 300 feet…then they started to see depressions start to occur."

Officials have not said when they expected the sinkhole to be stabilized. Drivers should expect to see barricades up on Scott Lake Road through Saturday. The Polk County Sheriff's Office has urged the public to stay away from the area while crews continue to work.

Authorities said the plan is to try and get equipment out this evening to start back filling the hole.

EXPERT BELIEVES SECONDARY SINKHOLE IS LIKELY TO BLAME FOR GROWING ALARM IN TEXAS TOWN

Florida's sinkhole alley

The sinkhole is just outside an area considered "sinkhole alley" in Florida, which includes Hernando, Hillsborough and Pasco counties. However, sinkholes are common up and down the Interstate 4 corridor and along Interstate 75.

According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, sinkholes form when surface sediments collapse into underground cavities in the limestone bedrock. Groundwater then slowly dissolves cavities and caves in the limestone over a period of many years until it can no longer support the weight of the sediment above.