Alligator information meeting in Lakewood Ranch turns into debate

It was five minutes to 7 p.m. and Lakewood Ranch Executive Director Anne Ross had a different job than what she expected.

She was setting out chairs.

Lakewood Ranch Town Hall hosted a nuisance alligator meeting Monday and more than 100 local residents packed a room to talk gators. Ross expected more attendees on Monday than the usual handful of interested residents who show up for informational meetings, but she didn't expect 100.

It was standing room only until Ross put out more chairs when Lt. Louis Hinds of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation took the podium to talk about what people should do when they encounter a nuisance alligator.

Hinds was somewhat blindsided when the informational session took a quick turn.

About half the crowd came to the meeting to quiz Hinds and trapper Mike Reynolds about what they do with the gators after they removed them from Lakewood Ranch. In 2016, 23 gators were removed from Lakewood Ranch Phase 1 through Town Hall.

Miramar's Jim Higgins said his research indicated the alligators were killed after being removed. "Alligators have a place in our natural balance," Higgins said. "This is a tragedy."

Higgins said Lakewood Ramch's policy for nuisance alligators, which is the same as Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation's policy, makes it too easy for alligators to be killed because of one phone call. 

Ross and her staff disputed Higgins' research and said it was just plain wrong. Reynolds removed about half of the 23 alligators last year and he said he didn't kill any.

Reynolds said the alligators were either transported to parks or alligator farms. "I enjoy doing this," Reynolds said. "It's a hobby for us and we respect these animals."

Hinds said Reynolds, under Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation policy, has every right to kill the nuisance alligators that are over four-feet long, but chooses not to do it. Hinds also said alligators are not in any way endangered. "There are millions of alligators in Florida, one for every six people," he said.

Nevertheless, some residents complained they have seen far fewer alligators in Lakewood Ranch and others were worried the alligators were being killed and sold to companies that market their parts.

"I was a little surprised at the meeting," Hinds said to attendees. "Most people want to remove them. I'm proud you want to protect your natural environment."

That being said, Hinds said it does become necessary to remove alligators that become aggressive. Half the crowd was very supportive of that policy.

In January, a Greenbrook resident watched in horror as an alligator killed her puppy on the side of a lake.

Hinds said a huge problem occurs when alligators are fed by humans. They lose their fear and start looking for their next meal.

When someone calls Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation about an aggressive alligator, a wildlife expert checks out the alligator to see if the report is correct. "We almost always contact the person who made the report," Hinds said. "Then we see if the alligator shows signs of aggression. Does the alligator walk forward, toward you? Somebody's probably been feeding him. It's a crime to feed an alligator."

Ross said Lakewood Ranch Town Hall's hope is that the residents can live in harmony with the alligators. However, Town Hall has to react when people call due to nuisance alligators.

Higgins said the issue is how residents handle the policy about nuisance alligators. He said if residents are educated about alligators, they won't be so quick to call and have them removed or killed.

Ross said she will host another Town Hall meeting, this time with a biologist who can inform people about alligators and how they act, and what to look for if an alligator really does turn aggressive.

One man at the meeting told Hinds that he tends to his flower banks along a lake by his home, and he sees alligators and they never bother him.

"I would strongly urge you to use more caution," Hinds said. "As a rule of thumb, stay clear of the banks. Pay attention to what you are doing.'