Sinkholes around Apopka

Florida sits mostly on limestone, which is porous: water seeps in, erodes the rock, and over time the ground above can crack or collapse. Here's what's been reported around Orange County and how to tell a real sinkhole from a look-alike.

Two kinds

• Cover-subsidence sinkholes form slowly, as surface sediment settles or washes down into a void.
• Cover-collapse sinkholes form suddenly, when the cover sediment caves into a void in the limestone.

Where they've been reported

Using Florida DEP data, WKMG reported in 2018 that the bulk of Orange County's sinkholes appear along I-4 and into Seminole County, with many in the north of the county, including near the Maitland Boulevard interchange. For Lake County, which includes Mount Dora, the same report described a sprinkling of sinkholes, most near major roads such as State Road 44.

Warning signs

WKMG lists these, among others:

• Outside: water pooling near the foundation, changed drainage, depressions in the yard, cracked pavement, leaning trees or structures, and dying grass.
• Inside: cracks in walls or floors, sloped floors, sticking doors or windows, and cabinets out of alignment.

Look-alikes

Not every dip is a sinkhole. WKMG names utility main breaks, storm drain leaks, septic tank collapse, rotting tree stumps, erosion and buried debris as common impostors. Several of those are excavation problems: stumps left to rot under fill, or debris buried on site.