Florida Sinkhole That Swallowed Man Is Back, for 3rd Time

A sinkhole that swallowed a Florida man as he slept in 2013 is back, and not for the first time. It first reopened in 2015, and now it's back again, Fox 13 reports. It's estimated to measure 19 feet by 16 feet wide, and 19 feet deep. But the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office says residents of the neighborhood are safe and can remain in their homes; the area that holds the sinkhole was closed to the public, fenced off, and turned into county conservation property after the death of Jeffrey Bush, who was in his bedroom when the sinkhole first opened under his house. His body was never found.

"This is not uncommon what we're seeing out here with reoccurrences," a county official says. "It's actually the preferred way of doing it. The way handled it the first time. The way we filled it. That way when there's a reoccurrence it's in a controlled area like you see behind me with the double fences so we can kind of control the situation." He says the gravel and other materials it was filled with when it first opened "control the footprint" and keep it from spreading. But neighbors tell Bay News 9 they're worried. The city is bringing in a remediation contractor to assess the situation. (More Florida sinkhole stories.)