A sinkhole which opened up in a residential area in Windermere, forced two families to quickly evacuate their homes on Thursday.
The sinkhole is about 100 feet wide, 50 feet deep and within 3 feet of the homes which are located in the Summerport subdivision.
On Thursday, Orange County Building Department conducted an assessment of the sinkhole and determined that the homes are not safe for occupation.
The sinkhole has already devoured four trees and a fifth is teetering on the brink, wdbo.com reports.
Officials are monitoring the sinkhole to see if it continues to expand.
Central Florida is no stranger to sinkholes which are found largely in the northern and central counties of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. They arise on account of hydrologic conditions, including lack of rainfall, lowered water levels, or, conversely, excessive rainfall in a short period time.
The prevalence of sinkholes has seen a ballooning of claims over the last decade and as a result, massive sinkhole rate increases by Citizens Property Insurance Corp., recently.
