This is a matter of personal responsibility. If you want to know about insurance....ask an insurance agent. Following the OP's logic I should blame my barber for bad investment advice.

Monday May 12 on National Geographic TV at 3 p.m.
 

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/alaska-state-troopers/galleries/sinkholes-swallowed-alive/at/trapped-undergroup-2077685/

Sinkholes, Swallowed Alive

The news is indeed all over. We had just come inside from our deck enjoying a rare day of sunshine (two beautiful days in a row after a rainy spell) and even rarer yet 80 degree temps..........when my husband randomly turned on the television and called for me to come downstairs..........he thought he saw The Villages......to make a long story short.......it was a NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SPECIAL on National GeoTV showing how CENTRAL FLORIDA and the western part such as Hernando County, Hillsborough etc., etc., etc. are causing homeowners GRIEF.

The title was "Sinkholes * Swallowed Alive".

The Geologists explained the same thing we all had discovered and shared on other threads most recently........the geologists shared a wealth of information, as did the "cave divers" God bless them.......in trying to trace these underground caverns under a couple's home........a beautiful home by the way.........I really felt for that couple.

The cave cartographer said something like, "Central Florida is ground zero".........

My husband was in awe of the information shared.....same as we all found out by doing a bit of research most recently......of what lies below the ground in Florida, more prevalent in certain areas.

Heavy rains...........as well as heavy water useage, both seem to aggravate the collapse problem.

I'm sure we were not the only ones who saw it......in our case, it was quite by chance........perhaps they will re run it. They also showed in great detail the Seffner Florida horror.......all three homes were leveled; they never recovered the man's body.

Those cave divers are something else. They only had 90 minutes of oxygen in their tanks...........the geologist was very informative as well.

Check out National Geographic T.V. channel ; perhaps they will have a rerun. The news is "out there" ; it's no secret anymore.

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/alaska-state-troopers/galleries/sinkholes-swallowed-alive/at/trapped-undergroup-2077685/

This is the link to the National Geographic video which referred to "Florida is Ground Zero"

I'm hoping this is the full hour version we saw with the cave cartographer, etc.

A practical concern and not a doomsday "worry"
 

I hadn't even thought that perhaps he had purchased a problem home........but in any event, he is obviously doing his research before buying now.

After reading all of the posts re insurance, etc........in our own minds it still comes down to the ultimate cost of repair, if it is repairable.........and that's not a doomsday "worry" but a practical one.

Some of the costs I've seen are astronomical; not sure if the insurance company will pay it all ??? Would have to read the fine print in the contract.

Who, in their right minds, will go around lackadaisically playing golf while their hard earned property is in jeopardy???

Everyone , obviously, thinks differently on this subject........but after vacationing for 50 years in Florida, we NEVER knew about sinkholes until most recently. The research came naturally, to satisfy our own curiosity.

Then, last year, that big resort that just collapsed near Disney World...........didn't anyone see that?

Here is one just sent to me......a blast from the past in Winter Park which is a lovely little city...........who would know? Anyone out there remember this?????

A BLAST FROM THE PAST..........


The Winter Park sinkhole
In 1972, an agricultural agent and "resident layman expert on Central Florida water" named Henry Swanson wrote a letter warning Orange County mayors of the sinkhole danger that could be posed by overdevelopment and excessive groundwater use. Swanson predicted that the west Winter Park area would be especially at risk.

In May 1981, during a period of record-low water levels in Florida's limestone acquifer, a massive sinkhole opened up near the corner of Denning Drive and Fairbanks Avenue.

The sinkhole first appeared on the evening of May 8, 1981, near the house of Winter Park resident Mae Rose Williams (named Mae Rose Owens at the time).

Newspaper accounts report that her dog Muffin barked fiercely as the sinkhole opened, and that she heard a "queer, swishing noise"

Within a few hours, the sinkhole had swallowed a 40-year-old sycamore tree near her house, which disappeared with a "ploop" noise, as if pulled downward by the roots.

The next morning, accompanied by a sound "like giant beavers chewing", the hole rapidly expanded to nearly 40 feet (12 m) wide.

Her family was evacuated around noon, and that afternoon her house was consumed by the sinkhole.

The hole eventually widened to 320 feet (98 m) and to a depth of 90 feet (27 m), swallowing five Porsches at a repair shop, a pickup truck with camper top, the Winter Park municipal pool, and large portions of Denning Drive.

Winter Park city employees were able to rescue toilets from the pool bathhouse before they were swallowed by the sinkhole. By May 9, the sinkhole had swallowed nearly 250,000 cubic yards (190,000 m3) of earth, with damage estimated at $2 to $4 million.

Florida engineers have described the event as "the largest sinkhole event witnessed by man as a result of natural geological reasons or conditions.

The sinkhole drew national attention and became a popular tourist attraction during the summer of 1981.

A carnival-like atmosphere arose around the area, with vendors selling food, balloons, and t-shirts to visitors. The city of Winter Park sold sinkhole photographs for promotional and educational purposes. The sinkhole began to fill with water that summer, but on July 19 the water level suddenly dropped by a reported 15 to 20 feet (4.6 to 6.1 m).

As the novelty wore off, the city worked to repair the damage.

Workers extracted the truck and three of the five Porsches swallowed by the sinkhole. Engineers filled in the bottom with dirt and concrete, the sinkhole stabilized, and in its place formed Lake Rose, named in honor of Mae Rose Williams .

Diver reports from 2009 suggest that the lake has since been used to dispose of unwanted vehicles.Excepting a 1987 incident in which the bottom of the lake suddenly dropped 20 feet (6.1 m), causing erosion on the southern rim, the stabilized sinkhole has been generally quiet.

Williams died in 2005 after outliving her husband and all five of her children.

Henry Swanson, who predicted the risk of sinkholes in 1972, developed ulcers and insomnia before going on to discover his love of butterflies. He eventually penned a 74-page book titled Butterfly Revelations, published in 1978. Swanson died in 2012.

http://www.tampabay360.com/popup/14280
GOOD MAP ABOVE
SINKHOLE REPAIR in TAMPA / HERNANDO COUNTIES, ETC.


　
http://www.sinkhole-florida.com/sinkhole-repair-in-hillsboro-county-fl.html
SINKHOLE REPAIR IN HILLSBORO COUNTY FL.







　

Isn't this the reason why there's so many lakes in Central Fla.??!! Especially Lake County... something (very important to research, I'd say).

Please note.. The topic is obtaining sinkhole insurance, not a general discussion of sinkhole incidents.

I wonder if the lakes really are the aftermath of large sinkholes.

http://www.floir.com/site.Documents/...udy_042005.pdf (lots of expert findings, final report, "Insurance Study of Sinkholes" submitted to the State of Florida 2005.

To put minds at rest re if insurance is the answer
 

To put people's minds at rest as to whether or not just having insurance is the ultimate answer to stilling their concerns/fears/decision making process.........

Is there anyone out there, who in a previous "life" was a scientist or a meteorologist or geologist or even a cave diver.......who could wager the "chances of it never happening" under our home?

To me, personally, it wouldn't matter one bit how much insurance I had..........I would not want to go through the worry and concern of it happening beneath my dwelling. But, that's me.

The meterorologist might have some theories on climate change and the increase in rainfall......vs. a drier condition.......

Areas that were farmlands seem to be in more jeopardy, from what I've read.

Someone must know the odds, or at least willing to wager what the odds might be......in the near future. Thanks in advance.

I'd say that an actuary for an insurance company would know the odds and that's one of the reasons companies campaigned so hard to make sinkhole insurance worthless. Gotta a love a state that would help insurers not be liable for damages for a major risk in that state.

Where do you think the insurance companies get the money to pay sinkhole claims? It comes from you. If it doesn't, they go bankrupt. You may not like what they charge but THEY are the ones taking the risk. You may not like it, but you have a choice. You do not have to buy the insurance.

Exactly.

Often, people don't seem to recognize that insurance is a risk-sharing pool, and if the pooled money for claims gets exhausted, NOBODY gets help from it.

Of course, none of us want a sinkhole occurring close to our home.
But Mother Nature sometimes sends hurricanes, lightning, sinkholes, etc.

We own a home in TV on a golf course, and the property is raised.
Probably a prime opportunity for a sinkhole.
We bought sinkhole insurance, and don't worry about it.
If I had an overwhelming anxiety about sinkholes, I'd avoid Florida.
There are no guarantees it won't happen to you.

According to the map that Gracie posted on another thread several times, there are very few sinkholes south of Tampa. In fact, there were zero in Collier county (Naples), three in Lee county (Fort Myers) and about six in Sarasota county. These are all in the past sixty years, so to say that all of Florida is sinkhole prone, is not accurate.

I didn't actually say that ALL of Florida is sink hole prone. Sorry if I implied it. Point well taken. Best to be specific. Thanks for the correction.

No guarantees is right and so true
 

So true. One never knows what Mother Nature has in mind.
Last evening I was reading in the "Space Coast Living" magazine an article by Tom Sorrell, Chief Meteorologist at WKMG Local 6 in Florida. His article was "2014's Dangerous Hurricane Amnesia" re the recent "easy" seasons have made folks less concerned.

He goes on to mention that right now most long term models are indicating a return to El Nino conditions; a strong El Nino leads to less active Atlantic Hurricane Season.......however, as he says, it only takes one storm to be "our storm". Much more, but too long to get into here.......

Getting back to the original topic..........I found these:

http://www.way2insure.com/tag/florida-sinkhole-coverage/

Interesting info on Florida sinkhole insurance coverage

http://www.dep.state.fl.us/geology/feedback/faq.htm

Florida Department of Environmental Protection frequently asked questions. A must read.......for sure.


Below the hyperlinks, all of the answers are printed out...............