SEFFNER, Fla. — A sinkhole that reopened last week in Seffner is now getting refilled as crews started working bright and early on Monday.
Work crews started filling the void at around 7 a.m. on July 17, exactly one week after it opened. Gravel trucks are on the scene with heavy equipment scooping and placing it into the sinkhole while also maintaining a distance of at least 20 feet.
It allegedly will take around two to three days to fill.
The sinkhole, located on Faithway Drive in Seffner, measured 19 feet long, 16 feet wide and 19 feet deep, according to county engineers. It's the same sinkhole that opened beneath Jeffrey Bush in 2013 while he slept. His body was never recovered.
County officials told neighbors they remain safe at their homes, but many still worried with this being the third time the sinkhole has opened up.
"Nervous, upset, and won’t get no sleep tonight," Willie Holloway said on Monday. "I’m nervous as hell."
After 2013, the sinkhole reopened in 2015 and was remediated again. Today's sinkhole is virtually identical in size and location to when it reopened the second time in 2015, Hillsborough Executive Manager Jon-Paul Lavandeira said.
"We just did an assessment of the neighboring homes. Spoke with the neighbors. Didn't notice any telltale signs. When you see things like large stretches, fractures or seeing things where doors aren't opening and closing," Lavandeira said. "Unusual noises that the neighbors can attest to or the homeowners contact you. We did a check of those and everyone was safe, good to go. And when we brought the engineer out here later on, they didn't see any cause for concern on that front either.
"So, we have that in our favor."
Crews are filling the sinkhole with gravel and water with the goal of creating somewhat of a porous cork. This will allow water to still seep through but hopefully prevent other sinkholes from opening in the neighborhood.