A Florida family has been forced to evacuate from their home after a gaping hole opened up in their front yard in Polk County without warning.

Neighbour Sharon Stein told local media that she alerted the family to the growing sinkhole at 8am on Saturday.

“I went across the street with my dog, and when I went down the street, I could see something was wrong over there, and I went and investigated. Apparently, it had just happened because the neighbour had gone through at 7:30 a.m., and he didn’t see anything wrong,” Stein told ABC Action News.

More than 72 hours later, the ground is continuing to give way.

Officials estimate it’s about 4.5 metres wide and between 21 and 24 metres deep.

There is no timeline as to when crews will begin filling the sinkhole because it is still very active.