SoFla Guide Editors
A 71-year-old fisherman from Winter Garden was killed Friday, October 16, after an alligator pulled him from the shoreline into a pond at Dr. Bradford Memorial Park, near Lake Apopka, about 15 miles northwest of Orlando, the Associated Press reported via WPLG Local 10. Steven Hamilton was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, as reported by NBC News. His death is the second fatal alligator attack in Florida this year, CBS News reported.
What happened at the park
Hamilton was standing on the shoreline when the alligator struck at about 5 p.m., the Winter Garden Police Department said, according to CBS News.
Witnesses reported seeing someone grabbed by an alligator and pulled into the water, according to recorded radio traffic from responding emergency personnel cited by NBC News.
Rescue crews faced a difficult scene. The presence of other active alligators in the water hampered rescue efforts, Winter Garden Fire Chief Jose Gainza said, according to the Associated Press via Local 10. Hamilton’s body was recovered roughly two hours after the attack, Gainza said.
FWC-contracted nuisance alligator trappers removed and killed an alligator measuring 11 feet, 8 inches from the scene, CBS News reported. That animal is believed to be the one involved in the attack.
“A contracted nuisance alligator trapper was dispatched to the scene, and an 11′ 8” alligator was removed from the area,” the FWC said, as reported by WESH and carried by WPLG Local 10 and the AP.
A pond connected to gator country
Dr. Bradford Memorial Park has several small ponds connected to the larger Lake Apopka, a body of water well known for its alligator population, according to CBS News.
Local police were not surprised that gators were in the area.
“Lake Apopka has tons of alligators in it, so that’s not uncommon to see alligators in this part of town at all,” Winter Garden Police Capt. Michael Mason told CBS News.
Mason also urged residents to treat wildlife with caution. “Always be aware of your surroundings, always be safe. Local wildlife, respect it, keep your distance. It looks like it’s docile, it looks like your Florida emblem, but it can be dangerous,” he told WESH 2 News, according to NBC News.
The second fatal attack this year
Hamilton’s death follows a fatal attack in June. On June 28, Brittany Clark, 31, of Orlando, was killed while swimming in the Econlockhatchee River in Little Big Econ State Forest in Seminole County, according to ABC News and FOX35 Orlando. FWC DNA testing confirmed a 13-foot alligator was responsible, those outlets reported.
Deadly encounters like these remain unusual. “Serious injuries caused by alligators are rare in Florida,” the FWC said, according to NBC News.
Over the prior decade, Florida has averaged eight unprovoked alligator bites per year requiring medical attention, according to FWC data cited by CBS News. Florida has never had more than three fatal alligator attacks in a single year, per FWC records cited by CBS News.
The state has kept records of alligator attacks since 1948, and Hamilton’s death brings Florida’s all-time total of fatal attacks to 34, according to the Associated Press via WPLG Local 10.
What this means for South Florida
The attack happened in Central Florida, but the warning from Winter Garden police applies everywhere alligators live, and that includes nearly every canal, lake and retention pond across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Anglers who fish from the bank, people walking dogs near the water and anyone spending time at the water’s edge should take Mason’s advice to heart: stay aware, keep your distance and never assume a resting gator is harmless.
The FWC’s statement that serious alligator injuries are rare is accurate, and two deaths in one year remains within the range the state has seen before. Still, Friday’s attack is a sobering reminder that these animals are part of the landscape, and that respecting them is not optional.
