▶ Watch Video: Gator breaks into Florida family’s pool
A Florida family got a massive surprise when they found a 550-pound alligator in their swimming pool, according to a Tuesday post from the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities said the nearly 11-foot-long gator tore through the family’s screen in search of cool water.
The sheriff’s office said a family in Deep Creek, Florida — about 30 miles north of Fort Meyers — was woken up at night by a series of loud noises. When the family looked outside, they saw the giant animal swimming in their pool.
“Always check your pool before diving in!” the sheriff’s office said.
Photos of the incident shared by the sheriff’s office show multiple officials working to restrain the alligator.
Alligators are no stranger to Florida swimming pools. In 2020, a resident in Tampa found a gator leisurely doing laps in his pool. And in 2018, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office posted images and video of an 11-foot gator floating in a backyard pool.
The incident in Deep Creek, Florida wasn’t the only warning pool owners received about dangerous animals this week: A volunteer fire department in Salado, Texas, told residents to check inside their pool noodles for rattlesnakes, which like to hide in the cool, dark spaces.
