Geologist inspects The Villages sinkhole, has advice for other residents

THE VILLAGES, Fla. — The sinkhole in The Villages has been growing since Monday and has forced at least one resident on Lavaca Lane out of their home.

Geologist David Wilshaw took at a look at the sinkhole and told Channel 9’s Myrt Price what can be done to stop the situation from getting worse.

"This is pretty bad. This house obviously, you can see the foundation there, and it’s almost completely undermined,” Wilshaw said. "The first thing that needs to happen is that we need to fill the hole in and some kind of support to the building after that."

Wilshaw said that’s only the short-term solution. He said the long-term plan is an expensive one.

"You typically looking at $100,000 or $150,000 worth of repairs to stabilize the land under a building that's been affected that way,” Wilshaw said.

Wilshaw said with depressions forming near the larger sinkhole, it’s only a matter of time before they become bigger.

Wilshaw suggested people get sinkhole insurance.

Cox Media Group