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Hernando Today

Sinkhole Woes Grow For Family

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By TONY HOLT

Hernando Today

Published: November 23, 2008

WEEKI WACHEE - An engineer was sinking into the ground inch by inch.

Her colleague told her to jump away and she did.

She was standing four feet from a sinkhole that had begun to grow in width and depth by the hour. By the following morning, it was more than twice the size of an oil drum.

"Just imagine if it were raining," said Lana Ramirez, 27, of 10467 Noddy Tern Road.

She walked gingerly around the hole and twice sprinted closer to her house because she felt the ground move underneath her sandals.

Two engineers were surveying the sink hole Friday, but it has only gotten worse. There is uncertainty whether it will ever be filled, at least not until there is a legal fight.

Ramirez and her husband have two children - ages 3 years and 18 months. They also have two Labradors who like to roam freely around the front yard, especially after they installed an electric fence.

The dogs are not allowed in the front yard anymore. The same goes for her kids. Ramirez has friendly neighbors who like to walk over and chat whenever she or her husband are working in the yard. She is nervous for their sake, too.

"God forbid if no one saw that and a neighbor walked over here and fell in ... or the dogs, or the kids," Ramirez said.

Parts leftover from a wooden fence are used to cover the gaping hole, at least until it is filled. The homeowners are not sure when that will happen.

Ramirez is familiar with the expense and heartache associated with sinkholes. The floors throughout her entire house are being replaced.

There are cracks in the foundation. Baseboards were removed and redone. There are holes in the pool deck and the pool itself is leaking. Windows cannot be closed all the way.

The family has sinkhole coverage. For reasons unbeknownst to Ramirez, the insurance adjuster from CJW and Associates has refused to fill the hole in the front yard, she said.

Ramirez has not been given an explanation. She contacted an attorney, who advised her to get something in writing from the adjuster or the insurance company - Royal Palm.

"You can look all over this house and see damage," she said.

The carpeting and wood floors in the living room have been removed. The concrete foundation is exposed - as are the cracks caused by the unseen sinkholes. Some of them stretch longer than five feet. Some are closer to the pool deck while others are located on the opposite side near the dining table.

The house was built four years ago.

Ramirez and her family will do all they can to stay there, but after seeing the gaping hole in their front yard, they are beginning to have doubts. At least one of their neighbors is having similar trouble, she said.

"I paid a lot of money to live here and I want to stay here," Ramirez said, 'but is it really safe to live here?"

Reporter Tony Holt can be reached at 352-544-5283 or wholt@hernandotoday.com.

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