WEEKI WACHEE, Fla. — A depression opened in the Royal Highlands area of Hernando County this week near where people who live in the area said a well was being drilled.

What You Need To Know

  • A depression opened this week in the area of Mississippi Kite Avenue and Marvelwood Road

  • The hole is on private property

  • People who live nearby say a well was being drilled on the site

  • The Southwest Florida Water Management District said it's the staff's understanding the owner plans to hire a geotechnical company to help with remediation

"I seen a helicopter circling my house, so I wondered what was going on," said Mary Stamant.

Stamant said she checked Facebook and saw posts about the hole. She told Spectrum News she's lived in the area for nearly 30 years, and while she knows this happens in Florida, she said it's never happened in her neighborhood.

"One so close kind of scares you," Stamant said. "I worry about that all time. So I was just concerned, and I'm glad it hasn't gotten any bigger."

The depression opened near Mississippi Kite Avenue and Marvelwood Road. Tony Eilers, who also lives nearby, drills wells for water and said he first heard about the hole when he was asked to lend a hand.

"I got a phone call from a fellow driller who was drilling a well, and he needed help getting his rig off the property," Eilers said.

Eilers said he was told drilling was done on Tuesday, and when the driller returned the next day, he found the hole.

"Tell you the truth, it scares me, for what I do for a living," Eilers said. "But I have to keep doing what I do. People need water."

Eilers said the hole measured nearly 60 feet to the water at the bottom. 

Another neighbor who works for APD Foundation Repair posted drone video of the depression to social media. The company is not involved with work on the site, but owner Joseph Slocum said it's not unusual for depressions to open following drilling work.

"Anytime you put any vibration down into the earth, it's going to vibrate things around it," Slocum said. "So, it's not necessarily the well drilling reason, it's just the vibration around it."

A Hernando County spokesperson said the hole is on private property and fire rescue hadn't responded to the scene.

According to the Southwest Florida Water Management District, staff inspected the site and said there's no impact to regulated stormwater management systems.

A spokesperson said it's staff's understanding the property owner plans to hire a geotechnical company to help with remediation. While there's work to be done, Eilers said the situation could've been worse.

"Very lucky it didn't happen under the rig while he was working," Eilers said.