After sinkhole, residents agonize whether to stay

Faithway Drive in Seffner is quiet now. Gone are the house and the heavy machinery. Left behind are neighbors filled with uncertainty about what's ahead.

Cathy Arey and her family live directly across the street from the sinkhole.

"You can look at it and it's just a small little house, but it's our home," Arey told FOX 13. "I don't know what the future holds."

There's a helpless feeling in the neighborhood.

"There's basically nothing we can do," said Arey. "The houses aren't worth anything now."

Jeff Bush's body is still in the ground, and that haunts Arey. Suddenly, she's noticing every crack in her home and every sound.

"Last night, I just had an anxiety attack and I couldn't sleep," she said. "We keep the doors (in the house) open. No fans, so I can hear everything."

Engineers drilled holes in Arey's front yard to test the ground. She says they've told her home is safe, but she says it's little consolation.

It's a common feeling in the neighborhood, made even worse by how long many residents have made their homes here.

Buddy Wicker, owner of the now-demolished house above the sinkhole, lived there for 39 years.

Neighbor Chuck Holloway bought on Faithway Drive 26 years ago. It was he and his wife's first home, and they raised four children there.

He says he feels "half safe" and isn't sure whether to stay.

"I'm on the verge of leaving, yes," Holloway told FOX 13.

Holloway and his family live two doors down from the sinkhole. Every night has been a struggle.

"I'll be glad to get a good night sleep," said Holloway. "The least little crack or noise I hear, I'm out of the bed looking, looking around the house."

The new normal for the neighborhood is sinkhole repair trucks driving by and uncertainty.

"Anything can happen," said Holloway. "We'll know more about it next week or next month. Who knows?"

It's no way to live, but it's the only way on Faithway Drive, now.

"Believe me, I would love to just leave, but we can't just walk away," said Arey. "This is our home."

Hillsborough County code enforcement and engineers are evaluating what can be done with the property, as well as the two homes next door. Code enforcement is

monitoring the site daily.