ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. – A large sink hole near 11958 SW 5 Ave. has forced people in the immediate area to evacuate.
Alachua County Sheriff's Office says a large sink hole that may continue to grow has opened up near a home storage shed.
"I obviously walked up to the property, saw a large sinkhole, with the shed teetering on the edge of the property and the sinkhole itself," Sgt. Becky Butscher with the Alachua County Sheriff's Office said.
As a precaution they Sheriff's Office did a reverse 911 call to residents in the area, and says they are not sure how much longer the evacuations will continue.
Authorities say they will continue to monitor the situation.
Environmental experts say sinkholes are natural occurrences, especially when rain is scarce.
"We're in drought conditions, so water table down, so three are voids, where at any point in time, there can be an area where it destabilizes and causes a sinkhole to erupt," Chris Gilbert with the Alachua County EPA said.
Homeowner Robert Matheny said it happened overnight Friday, just a few hours after he's been right where the ground collapsed.
"I went down at six o'clock yesterday, where the sinkhole is, grilling to the right of the steps," Matheny said. "Now my grill is in the bottom of the sinkhole."
No one was injured.