Environmental work blamed for sinking bar in DeLand

DeLAND, Fla. — City officials said the sand under Florida Avenue in DeLand loosened when the state did some environmental work in the area, and now, a business owner claims his building is sinking.

City officials believe the problem started about four months ago when the state dug deep wells across the street to test soil samples.

“We found that those wells were installed by a vibratory method, which could have consolidated the soils and caused the problem to occur,” said DeLand city engineer Keith Riger.

Business owner Johnny Kadrio said he first realized something was wrong at his bar. The problem started with cracks that began running up the sides of walls, but Kadrio soon realized the floors were sinking, too.

“Everyone had the best of intentions going into this,” said Riger.

In the meantime, construction crews spent Monday tearing apart and hauling away pieces of the road. The $10,000 project is aimed at saving businesses on the corner of Florida and New York avenues.

After demolition is complete, work crews will pack the soil and then repave it.  They think that will stop the damage to Kadrio's building.

There’s no word on whether the city will kick in to pay for repairs to Kadrio’s business, which he estimates will cost tens of thousands of dollars.

WFTV