http://www.dep.state.fl.us/geology/feedback/faq.htm
Florida's Department of Environmental Protection
Great website with commonly asked questions............many of which have been asked most recently with regard to the sinkhole problem. Many other subjects, not yet addressed.....
Scroll down below the 26 hyperlinks/questions.....
The answers are below, so you do not have to constantly click the hyperlinks......
Below that are yet more questions re Florida. All educational.
Question 15:
Is there a safe area of Florida in which to live with no chance of sinkholes?
back to topTechnically, no. Since the entire state is underlain by carbonate rocks, sinkholes could theoretically form anywhere. However, there are definite regions where sinkhole risk is considerably higher. In general, areas of the state where limestone is close to surface, or areas with deeper limestone but with a conducive configuration of water table elevation, stratigraphy, and aquifer characteristics have increased sinkhole activity.
The only way to ensure that you don’t purchase property that might be prone to sinkhole activity is to not buy property in a karst region. Karst refers to landforms that develop due to the dissolving away, over geologic time, of geologic materials near the surface. In most cases that material is limestone. Learn about the local geology in an area you are considering purchasing land in and find out if it is a karst region.