Giant Alligator Found Lurking in Florida Family’s Swimming Pool

A Florida family got an unwelcome surprise when a pool cleaner discovered a large alligator sitting at the bottom of their backyard swimming pool — a dramatic reminder that in the Sunshine State, the local wildlife sometimes makes itself right at home.

The incident occurred on Memorial Day, May 29, 2017, at a residence in Venice, a community in Sarasota County on Florida’s Gulf Coast. The pool cleaner arrived for a routine service visit and found a female alligator estimated at seven to eight feet in length resting on the pool floor in the chlorinated water.

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office and officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission responded to the scene and worked to safely remove the reptile. Deputies documented the removal and shared images on social media, where the story quickly gained traction.

Wildlife officials said the timing was not surprising. Late spring marks the beginning of alligator mating season in Florida, a period when both male and female gators become more active and mobile as they search for mates and nesting sites. Female alligators in particular will travel significant distances looking for suitable locations to lay their eggs, sometimes ending up in swimming pools, retention ponds, and other residential water features.

Florida is home to an estimated 1.25 million alligators spread across all 67 counties. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission received more than 16,000 alligator-related complaints in 2016 alone, ranging from gators in pools and garages to encounters on golf courses and roadways.

The agency maintains a Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program that dispatches licensed trappers to handle alligators that pose a threat to people, pets, or property. In most cases, alligators longer than four feet that are found in residential areas are captured and relocated — or, in cases where relocation is not feasible, humanely harvested.

Wildlife officials recommend that Florida residents keep pool enclosures in good repair, avoid feeding alligators under any circumstances, and keep a safe distance from any gator they encounter. Feeding alligators is illegal in Florida and can result in the animals losing their natural fear of humans.