Ocala duplex residents pack up to move after 30-foot hole opens up in yard

OCALA, Fla. — People who live next to where a roughly 30-foot hole formed in Ocala spent Thursday the day packing up their belongings.

It took crews only minutes to assemble a fence around the depression and place sandbags in front of the duplex just as more rain started to come down.

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Timothy Stobert is helping his daughter, Tracy, gather belongings to move into another apartment. He said the landlord is working to get her and the other tenant settled soon.

Video: Ocala duplex residents pack up to move after 30-foot hole opens up in yard People who live next to where a roughly 30-foot hole formed in Ocala spent Thursday the day packing up their belongings. (WFTV)

“We just got back from the realtors, they found her another place to live, so it’s going to be a little bit before she can get moved in,” Stobert said.

Read: 30-foot hole opens up in front of Ocala home, residents evacuated

In the meantime, Ocala city officials say their hands are tied, and the property owner has to hire a private state engineer to assess the hole.

“A certified Florida engineer needs to go in and determine if that structure is safe, they also need to determine what’s going to happen with that sinkhole,” said Ashley Dobbs, the marketing and communication manager for city of Ocala.

SEE: Storms flood streets in Ocala

Once those recommendations are written by the state engineer, they will submit plans to the city for review.

For now the families are staying with relatives until new units are ready.

Video: Evacuations ordered after massive hole opens near homes in Ocala Heavy storms brought a bunch of problems to people in Marion County this week. (WFTV)

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