Area to Avoid for Sinkholes
 

Which areas of The Villages should we not consider purchasing a home due to sinkholes? Is there an area of the community where sinkholes are more prevalent? What are they doing with the homes near the sinkholes?

Do a search on this site and you will get far more information than you will want to deal with...….

***

Sinkholes can appear anywhere in Florida.
In fact, didn't one just appear at the White House in Washington?
It seems to be impossible to tell where one will happen next.

My feelings is that you want to stay away from ponds. If the liners leak I think over time they can lead to a sink hole. I think there is ground radar that can be used to test the land but I do not know if it is reliable so you could do some research on how to identify good building sites. I do know one builder that does use the radar to test all of his building sites.
In addition to ponds I think "dry" retention areas could have a risk as more water will drain through this area than would have if no building was done.

Maybe the better questions would be:

What type of insurance (and what carriers are the most reliable) do I need to protect my investment from the risk of sinkholes?

How much should I expect to pay (annually)?

...Then buy the house you like, get the coverage you want and worry less.

I agree with comments above, however, if this is a major concern, contact a geologist, and have a discussion with them. As for the villages, IMHO most if not all areas have an equal chance for a possible sinkhole, you may need to go outside of TV to eliminate or limit the possibility.

As a point of interest, we moved from PA, the neighborhood we we lived had around a dozen "sinkholes" over the 30 years i was there, one was 300 feet from my house, so my point is these occur in many locations. Just buy the additional 'sink hole coverage", and then enjoy TV.

I don't worry about those things. Which part of TV is most likely for a lightning strike, a tornado, flooding, etc. You can worry yourself to death and that's not what living down here is all about. Termites, can someone name one house in TV that has had an infestation of subterranean termites, a documented case. We all pay for the continuation of a guarantee for these but no one has ever had them as far as I have found. Not worried about them either.

I guess to be somewhat safe, just avoid the area from The Villages to Crystal River down to Tampa/St. Pete if you want to increase your odds. However, nowhere in Florida is completely safe where there is limestone and sand base that is effected by water movement. The panhandle which has more of a clay base would be the safest area. When I lived in Pensacola we were over 100' above sea level and were less than a mile from Pensacola Bay. They have shorelines that are like California with steep cliffs.

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/04/fe...ad78b24319.jpg

To the OP. Find the home you like in the area you like, and buy it. Sinkholes are like lightning. You never know where they will occur.

If you figure out the non sinkhole area, we will all be intrigued.

To the OP, you're much more likely to be struck by lightning...than to be affected by a sinkhole.

So all you can really do, is to find the house/area you like, purchase sinkhole insurance along with your home...and sleep well.

A more legitimate safety concern, is to ensure that you're not outside (including on a lanai)...when you see lightning and/or hear thunder. :shrug:

Agree. If the thought of a sinkhole will keep you up at night, Central Florida may not be the place for you. We all have our individual risk tolerances and it’s best to know what those are before making an important decision. Perhaps renting for a while would help you evaluate the risk objectively. Good luck.

A few years ago we had a home in Oak Run Ocala, we were no where near any retention ponds. The bad news was a sink hole opened less than 2/10 of a mile from where we were located. I guess the point I’m trying to make is what others have they can happen but like lightning you never know where.

We never felt threatened that the home we were in would sink.

Exactly.