Several sinkholes have opened up near homes in The Villages.
“I was quite shocked to see such a large hole,” Tom Steele said.
The hole was 18 feet deep and 12 feet wide, partially underneath the home.
Crews in the Belvedere neighborhood of The Villages started filling in the hole Monday, but had to stop when there were rumblings a couple blocks over.
“Looked out and saw some water gurgling and saw some fish jumping out. And it got bigger and bigger,” said Bob Anderson.
The giant sinkhole caused water in the retention pond that lines a golf course to drop 15 feet.
The men stopped watching in amazement when they realized they were sinking too, and the walls of the home started to crack.
“The lanai is falling off,” said Vic Rucizka, whose home was damaged by a sinkhole. “My pool is leaning. None of my doors in the house work.”
Crews built a makeshift dam to stop the water, but won't be able to do anything about Debby's rains if the hole isn't stabilized in time.
“Whoever engineered this pond made a big mistake,” Ruckizka said. “They should fill it in and get rid of it.”
It’s a race against time for both sinkholes as more rain is forecast.