"Brinkmann skillfully takes a technically and legally complex topic and weaves it into a shape that experts and the general public will understand and enjoy. Richly referenced to support further study, this book is very readable and includes pleasant but unexpected information on how Florida’s history was shaped by sinkholes."--George Veni, Executive Director, National Cave and Karst Research Institute

"The most comprehensive and thorough resource to date on Florida’s sinkholes. Robert Brinkmann draws on decades of personal experience with Florida’s complex karst landscape to focus on the pressing issues of sinkhole development, public perception of the danger, and possible solutions for the future."--Jason Polk, Western Kentucky University, Associate Director, Hoffman Environmental Research Institute

"An excellent and fascinating review of the science and policy issues behind the remarkable phenomenon of karst sinkholes in Florida. Recommended not only for environmental geology and karst specialists but also for members of the general public in Florida whose lives are actually or potentially affected by sinkholes or who want to learn more about the environment they live in."--Alexander Klimchouk, director, Ukrainian Institute of Speleology and Karstology

Florida Sinkholes--the first comprehensive book on the subject--is an easy-to-follow guide to understanding how sinkholes form and what to do about them. City planners, construction managers, developers, and homeowners alike will find this book invaluable because of the heavy impact and increasing frequency of sinkhole formation in the state. Packing an abundance of sound scientific fact into frank, readable language, this book examines case studies of notable sinkholes, explains karst--the Swiss cheese-like formations of soluble rock that underlie Florida’s peninsula--and reviews practical concerns like structural damage, repairs, and insurance problems related to sinkholes.


Robert Brinkmann directs the sustainability studies program at Hofstra University and coauthored Urban Sediment Removal: The Science, Policy and Management of Street Sweeping.

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“Brinkmann’s book… is the first of its kind about sinkholes.”
--News @ Hofstra

“If you want to understand sinkholes in Florida as well as anyone who’s not a scientist can, this book is a good place to start.”
--The Ledger

“Brinkmann has masterfully intertwined sinkhole science and policy and their interactions in a single easy-to-read book.”
--Florida Geographer

Brinkmann offers his reader what seems to be the most comprehensive story of Florida sinkholes currently in print. His book not only synthesizes decades of complex Florida sinkhole science and thousands of pages of written scholarly text on the matter into concise, clear, and engaging chapters, but also offers the reader an understanding of engineering solutions to sinkhole damage, sinkhole insurance, and its developmental history in the state, and the complexities of sinkhole policy.
--The AAG Review of Books

Outlines what is known and what is not yet known about this unsettling natural hazard. . . . and help[s] us understand much more about Florida’s sinkholes and our interaction with them.
--Florida Historical Quarterly