A concerned citizen recently sent Monroe County Mayor Holly Raschein a note of concern regarding a “weird sinkhole” in the road in her Key Largo neighborhood. Monroe County Roads and Bridges staff found quite an interesting culprit — an invasive iguana tunneled underneath the asphalt to create a nesting area.
“After investigating the ‘sinkhole,’ we discovered iguanas have tunneled next to an old, abandoned culvert and found some soft sand where they were laying their eggs under the road,” said crewmember Ron Havengar, who helped with the excavation. “We dug out the sand to a hard base, then compacted crushed lime rock in lifts, then paved over that. Only in Florida.”
In addition to Havengar, Francisco Palomares, Robert Biers, Dan Oliva and Sean Martin were a part of the iguana-gate crew.
“We appreciate our residents’ keen eyes and taking the time to send a note of concern,” said Kimberly Kelley, Upper Keys Roads and Bridges administrator. “We love special projects, especially ones with surprise endings.”
