Authorities are calling the Pasco County sinkhole that swallowed up two homes last week the biggest sinkhole in the state in recent history. At last check, it was 225 feet wide and 50 feet deep.
Because many residents in the area of the Lake Padgett sinkhole depend on well water, Pasco Emergency Management personnel are taking water samples to be tested for E. coli and other contaminants.
Local agencies are working with the United Way to help raise money for the people affected by the loss of these homes. That includes renters who occupied the homes and did not have renters insurance. Anyone wishing to help out can visit unitedwaypasco.org and look for the banner for the relief fund.
The sinkhole affects 11 homes. Residents of five of those homes are still being kept away as a precaution.
The Pasco Property Appraiser website allows people to search specifically for homes that have been affected by sinkhole activity. Property Appraiser Gary Joiner lives in a house that had been reinforced after sinkhole activity and said, "its public record, I thought it ought to be out there if you're wanting to look at a particular subdivision or neighborhood, I think you ought to be able to tell."
You can visit the Pasco Appraiser's website and search for "subsidence" to find homes that have been affected by sinkholes.
Hillsborough County has a similar tool, but it requires the use of a name or address for the search.
