Massive World War II-era bomb discovered by construction workers near Florida airport

Florida police officers were called to a construction site Tuesday after workers uncovered a 1,000-pound bomb from the World War II era.

According to Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis, his office received a call Tuesday afternoon from construction workers building a college near the Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport. They dug up the bomb in the northeast corner of the airport grounds. Its condition led them to believe it was inactive.

"It is likely that it's probably inert, but because it is so rusted and decayed there is certainly no way of telling," Nienhuis said, adding that they evacuated everyone within a half of a mile radius of the artifact.

The Citrus County Sheriff's Office bomb team responded to the scene later that evening, and confirmed the device was inert, Hernando County officials said.

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Bomb uncovered by construction workers

The Hernando County Sheriff's Office said the bomb was an M65.

According to the National Museum of the United States Air Force, the M65 was a general purpose bomb that weighed 1,000 pounds and was used against reinforced targets like major infrastructure. There is one on display in the museum's World War II gallery.

Hernando County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Denise Moloney said they believe the device had been there for a "really long time," adding that many places in the county were formerly bombing ranges.

The Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport was once a World War II military airfield, according to the airport's website. Located approximately 45 minutes north of Tampa, the military airfield was in use from 1942 until late 1945, when it was deemed a surplus.

The site of today's airport was an auxiliary airfield to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, which is still active today. Hernando County Sheriff's Office said a team from MacDill planned to respond to the scene to help dispose of the device.

The MacDill Air Force Base and the Citrus County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment on how the bomb would be disposed of.