10-foot, 300-pound alligator turns up at Florida high school days before classes resume

A 10-foot alligator was found in the canal beside Coconut Creek High School in South Florida just three days before class was scheduled to resume.

Here's what to know

According to WPBF, the gapltor was discovered Aug. 7 — as students of Broward County Public Schools were set to return to class. The Coconut Creek Police Department said the 300-pound animal was in the canal that runs along the edge of campus.

In a Facebook post, it joked the canal was perhaps a "Buc-ee's for gators" and said the reptile was big enough that it "could've played left tackle on Creek High's football team." Officers also wondered if "maybe he just couldn't wait for the doors to open Monday morning at Coconut Creek High School."

In Florida, alligators are a fact of life, but their presence near schools and neighborhoods can become a safety concern.

Florida wildlife officials helped move the reptile to Everglades Holiday Park in Fort Lauderdale.

More background

Drainage canals and retention ponds that connect to Broward County's broader water network give the reptiles routes among wetland habitats and developed areas.

Canals help manage water in South Florida, but they also create corridors wildlife can use to move into residential communities and commercial areas.

A BBC report on why wild animals attack humans explains how habitat disruption and the growing overlap between human development and wildlife territory can increase the chances of dangerous encounters.

As Hoodline noted, the police department in 2024 partnered with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials for a public seminar on living safely alongside suburban alligators and coyotes.

What's being done?

Florida's Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program, run by the FWC, generally considers a gator a nuisance if it is at least four feet long and threatens people, pets, or property. Concerns can be reported through the state's hotline, 866-FWC-GATOR.

For families living near canals, lakes, or retention ponds, experts recommend treating the water's edge as potential alligator habitat. That means keeping pets leashed, avoiding the areas at dawn and dusk, and reporting unusually bold or oversize animals. Do not approach them.

Wildlife education, prompt reporting, and coordinated removal can reduce the risk that a frightening encounter turns into something far worse.

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