Alligators? (West Palm Beach, Palm Springs, Palm Beach: house, neighborhood, buying)

[Halima77]

Ok, this might sound like a hyper-paranoid question... but does one need to worry about alligators if you live on a waterside house? I have young children and the thought crosses my mind every time I look at a house that adjoins any water (pond, canal, etc).

Forgive me, I'm from up north. Could someone give me an honest answer?

[rusty78]

Really ducks...but anyone who lives down there will tell you...anywhere you have fresh water you could find a crock or gator...and in some cases you might run into a salt water version which is much more aggressive...but from all the stories I have been following...you stand a better chance of seeing one of those boa's (snake) that have been expanding at an alarming rate...

[carrypositive]

I had a gator in my backyard when I lived in Palm Springs last year. Hung out there in the lake and on the banks for nearly two weeks until I moved.

If you live on a large body of water you will have on in your vicinity eventually.

[Magnolia Bloom]

Maybe not worry, but be aware. If the ducks start disappearing, be more cautious. That's how we first discovered a small gator in a lake in our neighborhood a couple of years ago.

Drowning is a more serious concern, IMO. Ponds, especially man-made ponds, can have a steep drop off and little ones are fascinated by water. It can even be more dangerous when a number of people are outside cooking out, etc. Everyone can think someone else is watching the children

Not saying this to discourage you from buying on the water. I envy folks who do, there's nothing like it. It's just something to keep in mind when you find that great place.

[P Andrews]

Originally Posted by Halima77

Ok, this might sound like a hyper-paranoid question... but does one need to worry about alligators if you live on a waterside house? I have young children and the thought crosses my mind every time I look at a house that adjoins any water (pond, canal, etc).

Forgive me, I'm from up north. Could someone give me an honest answer?

If you live in south Florida and are on the water, (pond, canal, lake, "man-made or not") there will always be the possibility of seeing a gator. This is where they live. Canals weave all over and connect to bodies of water such as lakes in parks and gators can be seen from time to time on banks sunning. On many golf courses this is a normal site for the golfers early in the morning, when they tee off. Normally it is nothing to worry about, as a rule gators when approached, will just swim off. The best thing to do is to keep small children and pets away from bodies of water not designated for swimming down here. There are plenty of places to safely enjoy the water.
One of the problems with gators here was initiated by people. Cause as I said previously gators as the norm swim away when people come around, but since so many gators have lost their fear of people due to many people that found the need to feed them, now instead of swimming away, some gators will come twards people, looking for food.

They are part of our enviroment, there is no need to fear them, just respect them.

[ssclulow]

I respectfully fear them (alligators). The same is true for my feelings towards water moccasin, coral, boa and rattle snakes, brown recluse & black widow spiders and sharks of all kinds. So far my method has been effective as I have been in relatively close proximity to all many times, but have yet to have a bad encounter.

[rainroosty]

Originally Posted by Halima77

Ok, this might sound like a hyper-paranoid question... but does one need to worry about alligators if you live on a waterside house? I have young children and the thought crosses my mind every time I look at a house that adjoins any water (pond, canal, etc).

Forgive me, I'm from up north. Could someone give me an honest answer?

Yes, you definitely need to worry.

[amykpt]

I have the same thoughts every time we look at a house on the water. Waterfront (unless it's beach front and that is soooooo not in the budget) does not add value to me in a house. With a toddler and 2 small dogs it just makes me nervous.

[FL2MT]

The list I'm looking at on Wikipedia counts 12 alligator-caused deaths in Florida since 2000 or about once per year.
List of fatal alligator attacks in the United States by decade - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The long-term Florida average for lightning-caused deaths is a little less than 10 people per year.
Florida Museum of Natural History Ichthyology Department

You still have to be smart, don't be swimming in an unmarked area, especially at dusk, and don't let small kids or animals be playing along the waters edge, don't feed them, etc, but in the big picture of things to worry about, you are almost 10 times more likely to be struck and killed by lightning than you are to be killed by an alligator (not a reason to be scared of living in Florida).

[FloridaHawkeye]

Well reading that excellent wiki link - judging from that fact that one person has been killed in west palm beach county (since 1980) from the following actions:

Paul Mirabito, 27, maleMay 4, 1985
Killed while diving and harassing small alligators in a canal near West Palm Beach, Florida.[16]

Yes..you should be terrified of the gators.