Florida Sinkholes
There are more sinkholes in Florida than in any other state in the nation thanks to its natural karst topography. Sinkholes actually play a valuable part in Florida’s ecosystem. They provide a way for rainwater to replenish groundwater, and are an important part of the aquifer system that provides the state of Florida with 95 percent of its drinking water. Most of these sinkholes occur naturally and should be preserved, but sinkholes induced by urban development have caused millions of dollars in property damage and can become very dangerous if left unchecked.
Sinkholes are formed when water seeps below the surface and into the limestone that makes up a large part of Florida’s topography. The water erodes the limestone and forms large cavities in the bedrock. Normally, the walls and ceilings of these cavities are supported by the water that fills them, but if the water table drops the limestone is exposed to further erosion that results in the collapse of the cavities and the formation of a sinkhole. These sinkholes can develop slowly and appear as bowl-shaped depressions in the ground, or they can collapse suddenly into steep-sided craters filled with water.
The usefulness of sinkholes is often overshadowed by the damage they can cause in urban areas. Urban development alters the topography of a region, which has led to a gigantic upswing in the formation of sinkholes. The Federal Emergency Management Agency estimates that the number of human-induced sinkholes has doubled since 1930, and the insurance claims for sinkhole-related damages as increased 1,200 percent from 1987 to 1991.
In order to avoid the destruction of property as well as the contamination of groundwater, it is important that we monitor the signs of sinkhole formation. Sinkholes can form without warning, but some signs to watch for include:
-slumping or falling fence posts, trees, and foundations
-sudden appearance of small ponds
-wilting vegetation
-cracks and other signs of water damage in floors or walls
If a sinkhole develops on your property, immediately notify your local water management district, rope the area off, keep small children away, and notify your homeowner’s insurance agent.
This site is very informative. The L3 had me a little confused is that a free estimate or not?
Other than that it was very informative!
Thank you. Yes L3 is a free estimate. It enables us to provide the customer with a no cost no obligation estimate so they can budget for big projects. Many of the homeowners associations must pay for their own road maintenance and by providing this service to them they can begin to budget for future services. We can estimate the life span left in their current pavement and provide them with current day amounts it will cost to repair and or replace. Thank you for your kind words.
Wow this really looks good. Very Professional
Thank you we spent much time working on this site to provide an informative site regarding our supply chain or rock, shell, rip rap and other materials used in the road construction industry as well as the materials needed for sink hole repairs. We hope to provide the customer with an informative place to visit to keep atop of current trends, issues and uses for many of our materials.
What a great article. I had no idea that sink holes serve some good purposes too.
Well written and very concise. I am going to add you to my favorite blogs and check in often. I love your products, especially the washed shell. Your service is the best in Florida.
Thanks for all that you do!!
Thanks Jules! I’m glad you love our washed shell product. We’ve worked really hard to provide one of the cleanest washed shells available in the market. Our shell is screened and washed and never crushed. The smaller shell 3/16″-5/8 is perfect for driveways, walking and bike paths. The medium shell that is 5/8″ to 1 1/2″ is great for landscape and decorative areas. As a leading supplier of these shell materials in the market place our guarantee is we will never be out of shell and if we are your company will receive a “free” load of shell. Thank you for being a loyal supporter of Sitework Supplier we value our customers as well as their opinions.
The staff at Sitework Supplier made what I thought would be a cumbersome and costly project, one of the simplest parts of the Construction of my familes new dream home. We look forward to having the staff celebrate with us.The completion of our dream home in the spring.
Thanks Simon! It’s been a pleasure providing the sitework materials for your families home! Again, this is proof positive that we give the same attention and detail to both our commercial and residential construction market! We especially love the part about celebrating with you in the spring! Don’t forget we’ll be here to supply your decorative materials to put the finishing touches on your dream home! River Rock, Rip Rap and oh so much more! Wait til you see our colored shell!!!
I would like to let you know how helpful and informative your website was and we have now placed several orders with you for our pool company.. Your company was very efficient in its time for deliveries and it was very much appreciated.. Keep up the great work
Thank you Jennifer! As you know Sitework Supplier is biased in a favorable way to you and David for a multitude of reasons! Your on our list of favorite customers and I’ve always had the advantage of calling David for those tough contracting issues and questions that stump me! Looking forward to another great year of business providing Adventure Pools and Pavers with all their fill, sand and material needs.
Sherri,
I just wanted to say I love your website. I can’t believe how much usefull information it provides. Even the article above about sinkholes was very informative. Working with you has been such a pleasure and sure does make ordering materials and having the confidence that a quality material will arrive to the site on time! With having you handle all of our materials I can go and focus on the job instead of delivery and materials because you do it well girl! Keep up the great work!
Thanks Ron, I’ll take you to lunch soon and we can discuss the glorious world of rip rap, base rock, fill dirt and sink holes! Hope your off to a great start for the new year. Thanks for the wonderful comments about the new web site, hopefully it’s obvious the work and time a great team of people have put into making this site possible!
Sherri Swenson
Your Materials First Material Girl!
Wow, now here is a website with some information someone can sink their boulders into! Ha ha Sherri I couldn’t resist, I am very impressed with the new site, what a leap you guys have made. Looks very professional is extremely informative and now I see why you are sending trucks of rock and shell all over Florida. Keep up the great work and best to you in this new year.
Dave
Thanks Dave, glad maybe we can finally share a little bit of the knowledge we keep learning with our customers! It’s the great folks like you and all the wonderful folks that work for you that make what we do enjoyable. Best to you in this new and exciting year ahead!
Sherri
Wow Sherri very impressive! My Dad told me your new website was phenominal and now I see why. Miss talking to you and now I understand why your so busy you’ve really moved forward in some great areas! Check your email too, I’m sending you a note. All my best and I must say…C’est marrant comme le karma vient autour et tout fonctionne, votre le véritable vainqueur.
You guys rock the rip rap world. Never have we called a supplier and actually had someone actually answer the phone. Sherry you are funny, intelligent and articulate and dealing with you is a newfound pleasure. Looking forward to meeting you in Tampa next week and thank you, thank you thank you for showing us the way…..YOU ROCK GIRL……….! PS:Cracked up at the pictures of your team when we arrived at the lil one Sailor on your web page, way too cute!