Sinkhole a Big Headache for Florida Church

Church says it can't use building, but State Farm says there's 'no problem'
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 12, 2013 9:54 AM CDT
Florida Church in Insurance Fight Over Sinkhole
A screen grab from NBC-2 video.   (NBC-2 Video)

Florida has been hit with yet another suspected sinkhole—this one preventing a North Naples congregation from using a beloved church. "The floor in the main auditorium has sunk about four-and-a-half inches in one area," says the pastor at Faith Community Church. A landscaper has already tumbled into a depression, and the walls are cracked and the floors are uneven, NBC-2 reports.

Radar suggests there's a 12-foot drop under some parts of the building. "It's devastating, because people have poured their life into this property," pastor Rick Shuck says. To further complicate matters, the situation has prompted an insurance feud: State Farm inspectors "say there's no problem" with the church, Shuck notes. Geological engineers, however, say there's "certainly" a sinkhole. Now, the church is suing the insurance company. (More Florida stories.)

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