“…(guests) could hear a cracking sound as the villa began sinking. A large crack was visible at the building’s base…most sinkholes are small. 
Sinkholes can develop quickly or slowly over time…they are caused by Florida’s geology — the state sits on limestone, a porous rock that easily dissolves in water, with a layer of clay on top. The clay is thicker in some locations making them even more prone to sinkholes…Other states sit atop limestone in a similar way, but Florida has additional factors like extreme weather, development, aquifer pumping and construction…”
A sinkhole caused a section of a central Florida resort villa to partially collapse early Monday, while another section of the villa was sinking, authorities said. About 30 percent of the three-story structure collapsed around 3 a.m. Monday, Lake County Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Tony Cuellar said. The villa at the Summer Bay Resort had already been evacuated and no injuries were reported. Cuellar said authorities were also concerned about another section of the villa, which was sinking.
The sinkhole comes five months after one elsewhere in Florida killed a man. Monday’s sinkhole, which is in the middle of the villa, is about 40 to 50 feet in diameter, Cuellar said. He said authorities think it was getting deeper but couldn’t tell early Monday if it was growing outward.
The villa houses 24 units and about 20 people were staying in it at the time, Cuellar said. Authorities were called to the scene, about 10 miles west of Disney World, late Sunday where they found that the building was making popping sounds and windows were breaking.
