Family Sues Community Where Woman Was Killed By A Gator

You're more likely to get struck my lightning than you are to get attacked by a gator. At  least that's what people say. Anytime you see a body of water in the Sunshine State, it's safe to assume there's a gator lurking beneath the surface.  A family is suing a retirement community after an 85 year old woman was killed by a gator while walking her dog.

On February 20, Gloria Serge was taking her dog for a walk at a nearby retention pond in the ‘Spanish Lakes Fairways’ retirement community. A 10 foot gator dragged her into the water and drowned her. The family's attorney said, “In fact, the neighborhood named this particular alligator Henry, and they named it Henry because the alligator was seen so often on the shores of this retention pond.”

On Thursday, the Family's attorneys filed a lawsuit against the community. The suit claims the retirement community failed to call the Florida Fish and Wildlife to remove the gator. Gloria's family believes the community is to blame for her death.

The firm’s managing partner said there were no signs posted around the lake telling residents to beware of the gator and there were benches along the shoreline of the pond for residents to sit on. 

Gloria's family says that this was “100% preventable” because they knew about the gators dwelling within the pond and “encouraged activity at the retention pond”. 

Alligator attacks are 100% preventable. There's a few simple rules to live by in Florida so you can avoid these attacks. Always assume there's a gator lurking beneath the surface of any body of water. Just because its a small drainage ditch next to the road, doesn't mean they can't be in there. Keep your dogs away from the pond's edge and always be cautious of your surroundings. Feeding alligators is never a good idea and it is illegal in the state of Florida.

To learn more about what you can do to prevent getting killed by a gator, visit here.

[Source: WFLA]

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.