Massive 70-foot sinkhole in Florida swallows supermarket parking lot - and it's getting bigger!

A massive 70-foot sinkhole has opened in the parking lot of a Florida supermarket - and the cavernous void is growing by the hour.

When it first developed Thursday morning in front of a Publix in Winter Haven - outside Tampa, the hole was just 30 feet wide and less than five feet deep.

By the afternoon, geologists and engineers say the depression had spread to 70 feet wide and 15 feet deep and it has shown no signs of stopping.

www.dailymail.co.uk...

This is happening right across from the LegoLand Theme Park.

The pavement is buckling and warping...cool photos in link.

I just have to say YIKES! Sinkholes are scary things!

Wonder how big it will get? This happened yesterday and according to the new video in the link, Publix was still open.

a reply to: berkeleygal

My guess they built the lot on top of fill dirt, which has been slowly eroding and washing away underneath the asphalt...until something like this happens.

That really doesn't look 70ft and 15ft deep

There's a bloke standing right next to it in one shot

Probably the worst sink hole I've seen it's not even sunk

Sorry I was disappointed I wanted a HUGE hole with cars falling in

S&F tho I hope it ends up looking more impressive tomorrow

originally posted by: TheLieWeLive
a reply to: berkeleygal

My guess they built the lot on top of fill dirt, which has been slowly eroding and washing away underneath the asphalt...until something like this happens.

Well either that or they didn't pack the soil to well during construction, Florida would be one of the last places I'd Expect to here sink hole in the title with

Wow! How scarey that would be!
From OP's source:

Sinkholes are somewhat common in Florida, where much of the ground is supported by porous rocks that can dissolve beneath the soil over time. Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk... Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

I'm not sure I'd want to visit 'God's Waiting Room', let alone live there! That's even more frightening than the anaconda's and boa constrictors!

I read about that earlier and laughed. The park might have a slight bump in ticket sales from visitors coming to check out the sinkhole.

originally posted by: TritonTaranis

originally posted by: TheLieWeLive
a reply to: berkeleygal

My guess they built the lot on top of fill dirt, which has been slowly eroding and washing away underneath the asphalt...until something like this happens.

Well either that or they didn't pack the soil to well during construction, Florida would be one of the last places I'd Expect to here sink hole in the title with

I can't tell if you're being serious, or sarcastic. If you're serious, Florida & sink holes are quite well acquainted with each other. It's a rather common thing down here, to the point where the city of Spring Hill is nicknamed "Sink Hill" and plain ol' "Sinkhole". A lot of our springs down here come about after sinkholes form & fill with water. One of the most famous, Warm Mineral (famed for mammoth skeletons) formed that way.

To bring something more local the the thread for a news source, here's 2 articles from Bay News 9 out of Tampa:

Several businesses near sinkhole in Winter Haven evacuated
Crews maintaining watchful eye over Winter Haven sinkhole

a reply to: berkeleygal

In the video the lady doing the news said "it is a possible sinkhole" how stupid what else could it be duh !

Don't have to worry about the raising Ocean level in Florida I guess, it is going to sink before the oceans rise. I am glad I didn't buy a lot in Florida when I was down there. I decided against being a snowbird down there. Sewers were a major problem down there when buying property. High groundwater.

They should stop using asphalt in such a big areas when they have no idea what is happening below. Lets get back to dirt roads and basics

a reply to: dollukka

LOL I live on a dirt/gravel road. I don't think it's a viable solution for big cities. Dirt roads can be a PITA, especially when they turn into mud roads. Wear/tear on tires/vehicles gets expensive, trucks are more practical.

People love their cars too much to drive on gravel roads. Other vehicles throw rocks up cracking windshields/nicking paint and don't get me started about the dust. It's everywhere, the car, the house and us too.

Not too many people live in my neck of the woods so gravel roads work. Dirt roads couldn't hold up to heavy traffic without constant maintenance.

The better solution is don't build on swampland without a lot of planning/engineering beforehand. Doing it right in Florida would be expensive. Developers come in do a half ass job, rake in the cash/get out of dodge before it all goes bad.

A few people getting rich off the misfortune of others is what this country is really about. You'll find it everywhere here in the states. Ultimately the common man pays for it all and that same mindset is also a great motivator for war.

I'm completely fed up, I'm looking for a place with no roads.

Florida is obviously prone to sink holes, but another issue is contractors who cut corners.