A sinkhole at The Villages has community on edge

THE VILLAGES, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - A sinkhole in The Village of Alhambra has a community concerned. 

The home on Duran Drive is evacuated, but neighbors in this community are on edge because just last year another sinkhole opened up just a few streets down.

“I thought, 'Oh my God,' I couldn’t believe it,” said Josephine Curran, Village of Alhambra resident. “My prayer is certainly for the couple next door."

The couple was forced out of their home as a safety precaution, after an 8-foot sinkhole was discovered Friday evening.

“It’s not collapsing or any real danger now, but the potential is certainly there. It could go haywire at any time,” said Joseph Duennes, building official of Sumter County.

Crews have filled the hole with cement, but the cement level is dropping.

“Tells me that there’s possibly still action going on in the sinkhole,” Duennes said.

The hole may be growing.

“We’re all concerned, we certainly are,” Curran said.

This is the second sinkhole in about a year in the Village of Alhambra neighborhood.

“This area for some reason seems to be more vulnerable to it than many other areas,” Duennes said.

“This is where I live, you know, so where am I gonna go?” Curran said.

Curran is praying the sinkhole next door doesn’t grow, but she still plans to get her home checked. 

Engineers and geologists are expected to inspect the land soon. 

The homeowners will likely be out of the home for at least two months.