LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – Lake County commissioners are set to vote Tuesday on more than $2.5 million tied to repairing the massive road collapse on Empire Church Road near Groveland, after county officials previously classified the damage as an emergency event.
According to county agenda documents, commissioners are being asked to approve the repair proposal, budget transfers and related paperwork tied to the sinkhole and roadway damage.
The agenda says the estimated fiscal impact is $2,533,576.44.
County staff wrote that the collapse had already been declared an emergency event, allowing the county to move faster than it normally would on a public road project.
“The Board approved Resolution 2026-26 on February 24, 2026, determining the event qualified as an ‘act of God’ event as outlined in F.S. 337.11(6)(b), thus exempting the required work from competitive solicitations,” the agenda states.
Staff is recommending retroactive approval of the repair proposal under the county’s emergency infrastructure contract. The agenda identifies Estep Construction Inc. of Apopka as the lowest bidder at $2,533,576.44.
Commissioners are also being asked to approve:
- acceptance and appropriation of $533,577 into the Infrastructure Sales Tax Fund
- a $1 million budget transfer from Facilities Capital Buildings to Public Works Capital Infrastructure Construction
- another $1 million budget transfer from Gas Tax Reserves for Operations to Infrastructure Construction
The item would also authorize procurement staff to execute contract documents and allow the chairman to sign Right of Entry documents for two adjacent property owners.
For people who live nearby, the road closure has meant more than just a longer drive.
Krista, who lives in the area, told News 6 she drove over the damaged spot before it became the massive hole now blocking the road.
“I actually drove over it when it was only about two feet deep,” she said. “And apparently, now it’s like over 50 feet deep. So glad I didn’t fall in it.”
She said the closure has forced drivers onto smaller rural roads that are now handling more traffic, including large trucks and trailers.
“We have to go all the way to Mascotte and then around and a few miles out of the way,” she said. “And it’s two-lane country roads. And now, not just local residents, but all of this big truck traffic is all going that way.”
Krista said she has even seen wide trailers knock over garbage cans along the detour route.
She said neighbors want repairs to happen quickly, but correctly.
“I think it would be great to have it done quickly,” she said. “But also I hope the experts know that it’s done correctly so that it doesn’t happen again.”
If approved Tuesday, the county would move forward with the funding, contract approvals and access agreements needed to keep the repair project moving.