Sinkhole Worries Continue in Hernando County

It all started last month during Debby’s deluge, when more than a dozen sinkholes formed during the tropical storm. Homeowners could only watch in horror.

“It was scary; we were really nervous,” says Berros, who watched a sinkhole grow in his backyard. “We were running around getting our stuff. We didn’t know if we had to evacuate.”

And while for many people Debby is now just a memory, fears live on here. Sinkholes continue to open up. Just last week, a new one under a house on Nodding Shade Drive forced the family to evacuate.

Up and down the street, dogs and kids are no longer allowed to play in yards. Some good shuteye? Forget about it.

“I have to call in sick a lot, because I don’t get any sleep,” says Berros.

After every rainfall, homeowner Chris Cook goes on sinkhole patrol. He walks around his house, looking for depressions. “Yeah, every day we take a walk around the yard, just to see,” he says.

While the homeowner’s association has now filled the sinkholes with dirt, residents complain a void of information remains. Crews and heavy machinery work on neighborhood common areas, but homeowners haven’t been told exactly what’s being done right outside their back doors.

“They’ve been out here every day working on it,” says Berros pointing to nearby equipment, “But we haven’t been told anything.”

“I’d definitely like to be kept more informed,” says Cook. “What testing’s going on, what things they found-what their plan is for fixing things.”

10 News tried to find out what kind of work is being done on the Trillium sinkholes and ran into the same problems as the homeowners. A call to the neighborhood association president was not returned. The builder, Pulte Homes, referred us to Leland Management and a woman who answered the phone there simply said “no comment” and hung up.

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