Are sinkholes a problem in Florida, and does insurance cover them?

The Florida Geological Survey says much of the bedrock has cavities but very few ever collapse under a road or a house, and that a sinkhole could form anywhere in the state, though areas where the limestone is close to the surface see more of them. Every company that sells property insurance in Florida must cover a catastrophic ground cover collapse: a sudden collapse, a hole you can see, structural damage to the house, and the house condemned and ordered vacated. Settling and cracks alone are not that. Wider sinkhole coverage costs an extra premium, the insurer may inspect the house before selling it, and its deductible can be 1, 2, 5 or 10 percent of the dwelling limit. Before you buy, ask the seller: Florida law requires a seller to tell a buyer about a paid sinkhole claim on the house and whether the money was used for the repair. The survey's map of reported incidents is on the Department of Environmental Protection's Map Direct site, but most of those reports were never checked in the field.

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