Two Bay area homeowners, one in Temple Terrace, the other in Palm Harbor, got quite a surprise when they looked in their pools.

  • Two homeowners discovered gators in their pools
  • Gators broke screens in both lanais to gain access to pools
  • One was nine-feet, the other was seven-and-a-half feet
  • FWC says mating season & warmer weather contribute to more active gators

Elizabeth Foster, of Temple Terrace, came home and discovered a nine-foot alligator hanging out in her pool on Wednesday.

"I was headed towards the pool pump and something caught my eye and so I looked and there was a giant alligator in my pool," she said.

She said the alligator broke through her pool enclosure screen in an attempt to take a dip in her pool.

A trapper was called to the scene, and two hours later, the alligator, which Foster named "Loch Ness," was removed from her pool.

"He chose my pool, so I felt very special. So, I thought I should name him," she said. "It was a male. So, I thought, yeah, he's my Loch Ness Monster."

The alligator was nine feet long and weighed about 250 pounds. Foster said the trapper told her it was the largest alligator he'd ever captured from a pool in Tampa.


Photos courtesy of Elizabeth Foster

Palm Harbor homeowner Nancy Bloch says she discovered a seven-and-a-half foot gator about 11:30 Wednesday night when her dog started barking.

"I went to see what she was barking at and I saw a very large shadow on the bottom of the pool. So, it was quite a sight,” she said.

Bloch called the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

"They said it was the right thing to do to call them. Don't try to get it out, don't wait until morning. Just call them," she said.


Photo courtesy of Nancy Bloch

Bloch said she has no doubt her gator came out of a pond that's right next to her home. But Foster said the closest body of water to her is about a half mile away.

The Palm Harbor gator also got into the pool by breaking through the screen on the lanai.

Gary Morse with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says while it is mating season (end of March until end of May), he says gators just get more active when the weather gets warmer and that holds true until October.