Floridians are accustomed to hurricanes and alligators, but one homeowner faced both at once when an 8-foot gator showed up at his doorstep in advance of Hurricane Helene’s landfall.
The encounter happened around 10:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 25, in the Lakeland area, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Things started innocently enough, with the alligator “moseying through” several yards in the neighborhood, which isn’t surprising in Florida.
Just a routine night in north #Lakeland….a Creeks Crossing Dr resident called PCSO while waiting for @MyFWC due to this guy who had been seen in several yards but last night got bold and went right up to someone's front door. Eeek!
— Polk County Sheriff 🚔 Grady Judd (@PolkCoSheriff) September 25, 2024
Deps Rios (seen here), Gonzalez-Gomez, Rice,… pic.twitter.com/CtCjQl4akE
However, the gator then “got bold and went right up to someone’s front door,” the sheriff’s office said.
Standard practice in Florida is not to answer the door when an alligator knocks, so the man called the sheriff’s office and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
A handful of deputies were sent to corral the alligator until an FWC-licensed trapper could get there, officials said.
The alligator was captured and hauled away. Its fate was not revealed.