Florida Man Caught Keeping an Alligator in Garage Illegally

Everybody loves alligators, right? Well, you don’t have to go far to find an alligator here in Florida. One Floridian took things too far. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission responded to a call from a concerned local that someone might be illegally keeping an alligator in their garage.

When the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission arrived at the residence, they met with the homeowners son where he showed them inside where they had allegedly been illegally keeping an alligator in their garage. Not long after the FWC officer arrived, they found a 35-gallon aquarium in which the 3.5 foot alligator was kept. Officials asked the son how the alligator was obtained. The son allegedly told officers to contact his father because he did not want to be involved in the matter.

The officer contacted. the dad who claimed he picked it up while crossing the road. He said he planned to take the alligator to Gatorland that week. Upon further investigation, officials said no one at the home had obtained the necessary documentation for possessing the American Alligator. The FWC said that violations had been handed out accordingly.

If you are looking to own an alligator in the state of Florida, you can. There are a few hoops you have to jump through before you can legally own one in your backyard. The FWC considers alligators to “present a real or potential threat to human safety”. You’ll have to obtain a special permit to own one of these reptiles. With that being said, you cannot just go and take an alligator from the wild like this Orlando residence allegedly did. The FWC also has restrictions on how to purchase an alligator. You will need a Class II special permit to own an American Alligator in the state of Florida.

According to the FWC, “Anyone wishing to possess Class II species must document 1000 hours of experience working with the species they would like to possess or other species in same biological family and the same or higher Class of wildlife. The experience must span at least one calendar year.”

Learn how to own an alligator legally in the state of Florida, here.

There are a lot of dangerous animals in Florida. But if you ever wondered what the most dangerous are? This list was put together by A-Z Animals. Between 1999 and 2019 only 247 people in Florida died as a result of an animal attack. Florida ranks as the third deadliest state in the United States for animal attacks. Texas is number one with 520 and California is number two with 299. Those findings come from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

So, what is the first animal that you think of when you think dangerous in Florida? You probably think of the Alligator, but that isn’t the number one overall dangerous animal in Florida. The Great White Shark is the most dangerous animal in Florida. While not on the land in Florida Great White Sharks swim the waters around the state of Florida. Back in 2020 Florida had 16 shark bites on record. Second was Hawaii with only five.

The dangerous animals in Florida that didn’t make the top five are some that you may have thought could’ve been higher. Firstly, number six on the list is the Black Widow Spider followed by the Florida Panther. The Florida Panther is the state animal. It was chosen in 1982 by a vote of students throughout the state. Following the Florida Panther on the list is the Wild Boar. You can find the Wild Boar in all 67 counties of Florida. Their estimated population is over half a million.

Next is the Timber Rattlesnake. It is also known as the canebreak rattlesnake and it is a species of pit viper. The Timber Rattlesnake has a Chevron pattern and a stripe running down its body. Finally, coming in number 10 on the list is the American Crocodile. They are found along the coast of Florida as north as the Hillsborough/Pasco County border on the west side of Florida.

Below, you can find the top five most dangerous animals in Florida.

Yes, Great White Sharks are found in the waters around Florida. A almost 1,200 pound shark that was almost 13 feet in length was tracked back in March of this year.

#1 and #2 on the list are sharks. They are in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. They grow to about 11 feet and can live about 24 years.

Alligators live in all 67 counties in Florida. You can find alligators in any body of water including lakes, ponds, rivers, marshes, swamps and man-made canals. We've seen multiple reports this year of gator attacks, even some fatal ones.

They are found in pine flatwoods, longleaf pine and turkey oak hammocks, sand pine scrub areas, and coastal barrier islands. Yes it is venomous.

It is venomous and can be found throughout Florida. It is called a cottonmouth because of the white color of the inside of its mouth.