SEFFNER, Fla. - The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office says it is safe for residents of a Seffner neighborhood to remain in their homes despite a sinkhole that has reopened at the same site that swallowed a Seffner man while he slept in 2013.
It’s located on a county conservation property at 240 Faithway Dr. in Seffner.
County officials say they received a call around 4:30 p.m. on Monday that the sinkhole had reopened and fire crews, along with deputies were called out to the site.
John-Paul Lavandeira with Hillsborough County code enforcement says engineers will be on-site Tuesday to assess the sinkhole, which he estimates to be about 12 feet by 12 feet.
In March 2013, the sinkhole opened underneath a home on Faithway Drive, swallowing Jeffrey Bush, who was asleep in his bedroom.
His brother, Jeremy Bush, tried desperately to save him but was unable to.
Crews never recovered the body.
Lavandeira says the sinkhole reopened in 2015.
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Full press conference: Seffner sinkhole reopens
Engineers will be in Seffner on Tuesday to evaluate a sinkhole that has reopened again at the site where it swallowed a man in 2013.
"This is not uncommon what we’re seeing out here with reoccurrences. 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," Lavandeira explained.
Lavandeira says there are several ways to fill a sinkhole and one of the ways is with gravel and liquid, which is flexible and if there is a reoccurrence it will reoccur at that point.
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Seffner sinkhole reopens
Aerial footage shows the Seffner sinkhole that has reopened for the second time in 10 years after swallowing a man in 2013.
"The depression isn’t going to find another place to try and meander," he stated. "It will stay right there, and it’s the easiest point of attack, so that’s really the best situation in this scenario. We can actually control when and if there is a recurrence."
He added, "This is something that is out of all of our control. This is a Mother Nature thing. This isn’t a man-made scenario, but we do have a plan in place. We have the right experts in place. This is under control. There is a reason why there are double fences where this thing is."
Aerial view of a sinkhole in Seffner that reopened on Monday.
The site is closed to the public and secured with two layers of fencing.