Florida sinkhole caused by unexpected culprits

Credit: Walton County Sheriff's Department

Credit: Walton County Sheriff's Department

The culprits behind a 7-foot-deep Florida sinkhole might not be what you’d expect.

It seems beavers appear to be behind the Walton County hole that has closed a road by Alligator Lake, according to Northwest Florida Daily News.

"We've always had problems with beavers where we don't have a bridge," Chance Powell, an engineer for Walton County, told the Daily News.

Powell said he thinks beavers might have upset the water flow at the site of the collapse, the Daily News reported.

On Thursday morning, crews were trying to fill in the hole when the asphalt began to cave.

30A SHUT DOWN NEAR COUNTY HIGHWAY 283 Walton County Sheriff's Office is currently on scene just west of County Highway...

Posted by Walton County Sheriff, Michael A. Adkinson, Jr. on Thursday, March 23, 2017

"The water that flows under the road became too heavy on one side and caused it to fall in," Wilmer Stafford, Walton County public works manager, told the Daily News.

A vehicle was driving near the hole when it collapsed. The car managed to make it across and the driver was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, according to the Daily News.

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