# The dude in the sink hole. What's next for the property? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 4, 2013, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dude-in-the-sink-hole-whats-next-for-the-property/651995 "2013-03-04T14:42:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dude-in-the-sink-hole-whats-next-for-the-property/651995/21 "2013-03-06T03:07:36Z")
I just went to google maps and entered “Hillsborough County, FL” Try it - see if you can count the little ponds in the area (Tampa/St… Pete) I suspect those “ponds” are the result of sinkholes. And they thing Californians are nuts for living with quakes - we have much better temps and do not have hurricanes. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dude-in-the-sink-hole-whats-next-for-the-property/651995/22 "2013-03-06T05:31:27Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > When I first came here, this was all swamp. Everyone said I was daft to build a castle on a swamp, but I built in all the same, just to show them. It sank into the swamp. So I built a second one. That sank into the swamp. So I built a third. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp. But the fourth one stayed up! ahhh…but did she have _huge_ tracts of land? 🙂 (apologies to any unfortunate Dopers who don’t get the Monty Python joke) ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dude-in-the-sink-hole-whats-next-for-the-property/651995/23 "2013-03-06T07:32:46Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > There have also been very substantially costs already run up–by the sinkhole engineering experts and the demolition contractors. Who is going to pay for this? > > I have the feeling the home owner could well end up with nothing house/landwise plus thousands of dollars of bills. I don’t think it’s the home owner’s problem any more. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dude-in-the-sink-hole-whats-next-for-the-property/651995/24 "2013-03-06T14:40:13Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Man, living on a houseboat is starting to sound like a really good idea… I’m picturing a suburban Florida neighbourhood with row upon row of houseboats floating on their sinkholes. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dude-in-the-sink-hole-whats-next-for-the-property/651995/25 "2013-03-06T16:59:11Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Man, living on a houseboat is starting to sound like a really good idea… [NOOOooooooo!!!](http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&safe=off&biw=877&bih=414&tbm=isch&tbnid=tRlTfZIDOJtN_M:&imgrefurl=http://www.ratestogo.com/blog/amazing-holes/&docid=OhsmvJ3ODg6OZM&imgurl=http://www.ratestogo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/glory-hole.jpg&w=500&h=375&ei=h3Q3Ucn3HobkyQH_4oHIAw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=2&vpy=28&dur=4867&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=83&ty=107&page=3&tbnh=140&tbnw=191&start=20&ndsp=13&ved=1t:429,r:20,s:0,i:164) ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dude-in-the-sink-hole-whats-next-for-the-property/651995/26 "2013-03-06T17:45:04Z")
It’s a pretty huge assumption that he’s dead. He’s probably already found Chester Copperpot’s body and is on his way to the Copper Bones. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dude-in-the-sink-hole-whats-next-for-the-property/651995/27 "2013-03-06T18:51:37Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Man, living on a houseboat is starting to sound like a really good idea… Yeah, no way any of those are ever going to sink! ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dude-in-the-sink-hole-whats-next-for-the-property/651995/28 "2013-03-06T19:31:39Z")
In a few years, he’ll pop out the other side. In China. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dude-in-the-sink-hole-whats-next-for-the-property/651995/29 "2013-03-06T19:32:04Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > We are talking about a house worth about $90,000, of which the land is worth $20,000 to $25,000. Does anyone have a clue as to how much it costs to haul in dirt fill, compact and grade? My gut reaction is that it is probably substantially more than the land is worth considering how big the hole is. > > There have also been very substantially costs already run up–by the sinkhole engineering experts and the demolition contractors. Who is going to pay for this? > > I have the feeling the home owner could well end up with nothing house/landwise plus thousands of dollars of bills. The bill for filling the hole could easily hit $25,000, and in Florida I don’t know if the fill material is that readily available, so maybe much more. In some places the municipality would cover the costs of such a project, for instance around here the town would cover the cost of some serious work if surface runoff water started flooding a home. I don’t know if sinkholes in Florida are handled the same way. But I suspect the property owner is taking a bath on this no matter what happens. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2013, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dude-in-the-sink-hole-whats-next-for-the-property/651995/30 "2013-03-06T19:43:11Z")
> [@tripolar](#): > > but i suspect the property owner is taking a bath on this no matter what happens. iISWYDT. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dude-in-the-sink-hole-whats-next-for-the-property/651995/31 "2013-03-07T02:14:49Z")
Boring facts: 1. The dead guy wasn’t the property owner. 2. The sinkhole is now filled in with dirt. 3. The [property owner says](http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/state/seffner-sinkhole-video-update-jeff-bushs-body-never-discovered-florida-sinkhole-sealed-with-dirt) his homeowners’ policy, which covers sinkhole damage, covered the cost. 4. My wife’s aunt lives in Seffner, about a mile from the sinkhole. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dude-in-the-sink-hole-whats-next-for-the-property/651995/32 "2013-03-07T02:42:16Z")
Any more detailed references on filling the hole? They were saying the sinkhole was under three houses, numbers like 60 feet deep… ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dude-in-the-sink-hole-whats-next-for-the-property/651995/33 "2013-03-07T02:45:23Z")
I expected it to take much longer. Pour crushed gravel, pack, more gravel, pack, then maybe a course dirt / rock mix, more packing, last step would be 6 inches of topsoil. How could they possibly fill a big sink hole in one day? Pouring loose dirt in a hole that big would just be a problem. It would constantly settle and be unstable. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dude-in-the-sink-hole-whats-next-for-the-property/651995/34 "2013-03-07T02:47:59Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > [NOOOooooooo!!!](http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&safe=off&biw=877&bih=414&tbm=isch&tbnid=tRlTfZIDOJtN_M:&imgrefurl=http://www.ratestogo.com/blog/amazing-holes/&docid=OhsmvJ3ODg6OZM&imgurl=http://www.ratestogo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/glory-hole.jpg&w=500&h=375&ei=h3Q3Ucn3HobkyQH_4oHIAw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=2&vpy=28&dur=4867&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=83&ty=107&page=3&tbnh=140&tbnw=191&start=20&ndsp=13&ved=1t:429,r:20,s:0,i:164) Somebody divided by zero, didn’t they? ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dude-in-the-sink-hole-whats-next-for-the-property/651995/35 "2013-03-07T03:48:38Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > You could rebuild. The house would have a killer man-cave. I am totally going to Hell for laughing at this. See you there! ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dude-in-the-sink-hole-whats-next-for-the-property/651995/36 "2013-03-07T04:08:13Z")
How deep is this hole that they can’t even find the body? What did this guy get kidnapped by Morlocks, C.H.U.D.s or Molemen or something? ---
**Author:** ![cougar58](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@cougar58](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cougar58)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dude-in-the-sink-hole-whats-next-for-the-property/651995/37 "2013-03-08T03:37:05Z")
breaking news that they found the sink hole guy: [http://www.aggregateresearch.com/resources/items/Aggregates/buried2.jpg](http://www.aggregateresearch.com/resources/items/Aggregates/buried2.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Doggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dude-in-the-sink-hole-whats-next-for-the-property/651995/38 "2013-03-08T08:37:29Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Two tragedies: > [ul] > [li]Apparently the Florida insurance industry successfully lobbied the Florida Legislature that damage caused by sinkholes is not covered by insurance. Still looking for a cite to confirm this.[/li][li]Looks like the neighbors will have an empty lot on their street from now on. It will probably be impossible to rebuild on that location.[/li][/ul] > > On the other hand, Travel Channel’s _Ghost Adventures_ has a new storyline to explore. Plus, I’d imagine that all the houses in the vicinity have now achieved zero value and no one will buy one anyway. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dude-in-the-sink-hole-whats-next-for-the-property/651995.md?page=1)