A large gator deemed too dangerous to the public was removed by trappers from a local lake.

On Tuesday afternoon on 103rd Ave. North along one of a myriad of lakes, trappers played sounds of young gators, bystanders said, and that drew the 10-foot gator to the side of the water. 

After about three hours, neighbors said the gator got tired. Trappers eventually pulled it out of the lake after they tied it to the back of their truck.

"They were actually right over here when we came up," said Linda Best, a neighbor who watched the situation unfold.

As other neighbors strolled by with some of them walking their four-legged friends, a small crowd had gathered to see another four-legged creature where the sign read, “Do not feed the alligators,” which may give one an idea of the dangers that could be lurking beneath the lake.

"They have it on the ropes and the fishing pole,” said Best, as she and her husband watched the gator try to free itself.

Neighbors say until Tuesday, the area was home to at least three of the carnivorous reptiles.

"It's interesting,” Best said and then went on to ask, “When do you ever get to see an alligator getting pulled out of the lake?"

The answer might be obvious to some but for Linda and her husband, it was the first time these Southern California transplants, who are relatively new to Florida, watched this happen.

"When you see them in their actual live setting, you know, it's exciting to see," Best said.

But for some, seeing the alligator may have been too exciting, and not in a good way.

Some neighbors say that just recently the alligator had been getting too close for comfort.  Even going so far, they say, as to stalk one woman who was sitting next to the lake with her baby and dog.

Best said many of the people who live along the lake are elderly. She said they don't seem to mind the gators. It's even a popular fishing spot.

But when at least one complaint came in, officials from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission went out to see if the creature was longer than four feet and if it was a danger to the general public.  They said the gator met both criteria and that it was endangering public welfare.

That recommendation by the FWC brought mixed emotions for Linda Best.

"I felt a little bad that it's being taken from its home but if it's a nuisance or causing problems, it probably should be taken care of," Best said.

Officials from the FWC say the gator that was captured will have to be put down.

The FWC launched SNAP, or the Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program, and it is designed to address complaints from concerned neighbors.

Just two years ago, SNAP received more than 13,000 complaints and according to the FCW, nearly half of those alligators had to be put down