LEESBURG,Fla.,None — A massive sinkhole grew on Monday near a Leesburg strip mall.
The hole first opened Monday morning at a strip mall on Main Street. Officials said it could be caused by the weather. A dry spout and then terrential rain on top of that could have created a 60-foot wide sink-hole, according to officials.
"Oh my gosh, I was amazed at it," said Angie Johnson, an eyewitness.
Angie Johnson said she drove from Eustis to watch the sink-hole swallow a tree, a dumpster, and part of Refeek Mohamid's beauty store.
"I have never seen a sink hole before like that," said Mohamid.
Mohamid's security company called him at 2:00am on Monday because his store's alarm went off. When police walked the property they could not tell anything was stolen, but a lot of the products on the shelves had disappeared, according to officials.
Mohamid said he is not worried because his insurance company is covering the damage. They are working to find out how much it will cost. The city said they are having engineers survey the sink-hole to see how it started and where it's spreading.
"We want to see if there is any activity with the hole any movement with the hole," said Robert Sargent, city official.
When the ground around the hole is secure, the city and the insurance company said they will figure out who is going to pay to fill the hole with clay and lime rock. Officials said Crosby road will have to be re-built. Johnson said she will be keeping her distance until the sink-hole is repaired.
"If the whole building decides to cave in, I don't want to be here, I want to read about it or hear about it on the news," said Johnson
Officials said a section of Crosby Street near East Street will stay closed on Monday night until the ground is stable. If there is more rain, officials said the clean-up could take a couple days.
Officials said the sinkhole in Leesburg has many homeowners across Central Florida asking their insurance companies, if their house is covered, for sinkhole damage.
In May, Governor Rick Scott signed a property insurance bill that tightened sink-hole claims. The bill lowered the damage claim limits. Officials said starting in 2012, insurance companies will not have to pay for sink-hole damage to driveways, sidewalks or any structure other than a house.
WFTV
