Additional sinkholes open in Ocala

OCALA, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - A new sinkhole has formed in an Ocala neighborhood, according to the city’s engineer, adding to the nearly dozen holes that have formed since last week.

Already, eight families in the Wynchase complex in Fore Ranch have been forced to evacuate because of the sinkholes.  The sinkholes started in a retention pond last week. After that, the retention pond was drained, where engineers found even more cracks below the surface.

“It's gonna take a lot of work because it took a lot of time on that one back there.” said Wynchase resident Kevin Sherlock.

Back in 2012, the Home Owners Association paid thousands of dollars to fill sinkholes in another area. This time, officials said it could cost more.

Geotechnical engineers worked all day Monday drilling around the buildings. The city engineer said the hole can’t be filled, until they know the ground has settlers, and they won’t get subsurface test results back until Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the American Red Cross had stepped in to help those displaced families.