PALMETTO – They don’t mind sharing a community pond in Heather Glen subdivision. The problem is the unwelcome guest just won’t go away.
“He’s our new neighbor and we’re not real happy about him,” said Leisa Lewis.
“He’s been here for three weeks. He’s monstrous,” added Cathy Engles.
Ever since a nine foot alligator appeared, some people don’t feel safe at home.
“You just run, it’s like everybody get in the house,” explained Engles.
The gator doesn’t seem very afraid of people either. That’s why Lewis called for help.
“I called Fish and Wildlife and reported him and got a case number and they said we had to have permission from the property owners association to access the common area around the pond. The president has declined to give them access,” she said.
That means unless the gator leaves on his own neighbors are stuck with him.
“I don’t understand the thought process of our homeowner’s association, how they can not do something about it,” Lewis said.
We asked Association President Bill Neville about that. He wouldn’t speak on camera but says he blames the residents for attracting the alligator by throwing bread crumbs to birds and fish. He feels getting rid of the animal is pointless because another one will simply take its place.
“I think (the alligator) was here before he knew that there was any bread being thrown out. I think he’s here to check out what there is to eat,” Lewis said.
That’s a frightening thought in a neighborhood with children, dogs and cats.
“We can’t see him over the bank. He’s right there. I was probably fifteen feet from him and didn’t know it,” said Cassandra Engles.
Neighbors hope to work something out with Fish and Wildlife. They say if the alligator is found on an individual’s property rather than in the pond controlled by the homeowner’s association then they’d be free to remove the animal. The fear is that once the animal’s that close someone may get hurt.