Owner Willis Howe will meet today or Wednesday with his insurance company and Bernardo Garcia, Hillsborough County's public works director. Garcia said he'll recommend the house be demolished and the hole filled with dirt and rocks. When it's that, we usually demolish it. State Farm cannot comment on ongoing claims. Howe was unavailable for comment.
Geologists say the house is a casualty of the drought.
Water moves through cavities underground. With less water, the cavities are not filled and the empty spaces can't support the weight above. Sparks and his wife were not home Thursday when the house caved. A smaller sinkhole, about a foot wide, according to Mrs. Sparks, opened in the front yard Wednesday evening, forcing them out. They rushed to evacuate, grabbing their three pet parakeets on the way out the door.