[maineguy8888]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

I wouldn't condone the mass killings of bears and moose in Alaska, why would I condone the mass killings of gators in Florida? I also wouldn't condone the mass killings of sharks in the oceans.

Lakefront is so much better for home appreciation and value. It'd be foolish financially to avoid waterfront properties. If you are really worried, you can always build a fence that goes along your waterfront, but it really isn't necessary. Unless your children have a mental disability where they don't understand to not swim in the water, you should have no problems at all. Honestly, the odds of your kids being killed by a car is so so so much higher than getting snatched in your yard by a gator lol. 99% of the lakes and ponds in Orlando are fine to live on... just avoid the big lakes where they put the big gators in... but those are usually way out of town like Apopka, Sanford, Poinciana

Sharks I don't worry so much about. They seem to get "spotted" pretty quick and warnings go up. Am I wrong about that?? The average for Florida is 30 shark bites a year, but I believe most of those are surfers or swimmers who go way out. That would not be my family.
The alligator attacks seem much more random and deadly.

[movedintime]

NO. Pass on swimming in Florida waters.

I've grown attached to my arms and legs, the kids have too.

[Scrat335]

I wouldn't live near a substantial body of water with young kids where gators and other hazardous fauna could be about. No way. Correct me if I'm wrong but gators will come out of the water to go after prey at times.

Nope, nope.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by maineguy8888

Sharks I don't worry so much about. They seem to get "spotted" pretty quick and warnings go up. Am I wrong about that?? The average for Florida is 30 shark bites a year, but I believe most of those are surfers or swimmers who go way out. That would not be my family.
The alligator attacks seem much more random and deadly.

Bull shark attacks mostly occur in shallow waters when the condition is a bit murky, which is why Daytona, New Smyrna, Cocoa Beach etc have the most attacks.

There are more shark attacks in Florida than gator attacks.

From 1948 to 2016 there were 388 unprovoked attacks in the entire state, only 24 of them being fatal. If you average that out, that's most years being 0 fatal attacks and less than 6 bites per year. I think the most in one year was 16 bites.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by Scrat335

I wouldn't live near a substantial body of water with young kids where gators and other hazardous fauna could be about. No way. Correct me if I'm wrong but gators will come out of the water to go after prey at times.

Nope, nope.

I go kayaking in springs a lot and will pass by gators. They generally just sit on a log to soak up the sun for energy. They generally only hunt at night by sitting still and waiting for prey. Gators are out of their element out of the water, so while a gator could grab something near water (where the gator would have to crawl completely out of the water and shoreline), but not at the water, it would be very rare.

How it generally works for most lakes and ponds is... if a homeowner sees a gator, which you would because they have to soak up the sun at some point, someone will call it in and they will transport it to one of the big lakes. The point is most lakes or ponds with homes around it don't see gators daily, if they do, they call it in... it's not a big deal... unless of course you live on a big lake that is protected or where they transport the caught ones.

[moxiegal]

WHY...would you subject your children to that terror. Maybe, if YOU want to be the one swimming with the gators...then by all means...knock yourself out! But a pent is supposed to be the one PROTECTING their children.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by moxiegal

WHY...would you subject your children to that terror. Maybe, if YOU want to be the one swimming with the gators...then by all means...knock yourself out! But a pent is supposed to be the one PROTECTING their children.

Would you go hiking in the wilderness? bears, moose, mountain lions, cliffs, snakes

Would you go swimming in the ocean? sharks, jelly fish, rip currents, poisonous creatures

At the end of the day, the most dangerous thing you are subjecting yourself and kids to is driving in a car.

I agree that you shouldn't swim in lakes, it's perfectly fine to live on most of them with no worry.

I'd argue that a lot of the natural springs in Florida popular with swimming, snorkeling, diving are even safer than going to the ocean or even hiking.

[maineguy8888]

I see many houses for sale next to creeks or rivers. I assume that gators could be in any of them??

I guess that living right next to fresh water seems to be tempting fate. Going to the beach for a few hours now and then seems much less risky.

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

Bull shark attacks mostly occur in shallow waters when the condition is a bit murky, which is why Daytona, New Smyrna, Cocoa Beach etc have the most attacks.

There are more shark attacks in Florida than gator attacks.

From 1948 to 2016 there were 388 unprovoked attacks in the entire state, only 24 of them being fatal. If you average that out, that's most years being 0 fatal attacks and less than 6 bites per year. I think the most in one year was 16 bites.

Right, but there are a LOT more people swimming in the oceans than in the lakes. In addition, shark bites generally do not sever limbs, nor will sharks intentionally grab humans and drown them. A shark does not consider a human to be food. An alligator does.

That being said, I also wouldn’t rule out living near the water. The scenery is well worth it, and it just takes for one to instill it in the children’s minds to be wary of deadly aquatic creatures.

We live in an area that has LOTS of snakes. Our backyard is bordered by thick Bush. When we are out in the back playing soccer or hitting baseballs, my kids know not to go out into thick brush searching for errant balls. That’s my job. They are not SCARED or snakes, but they are well aware of their potential danger. The same should go with living near alligators. Don’t go in or near the water.

[Travelassie]

Originally Posted by Scrat335

I wouldn't live near a substantial body of water with young kids where gators and other hazardous fauna could be about. No way. Correct me if I'm wrong but gators will come out of the water to go after prey at times.

Nope, nope.

We live on a canal with mangroves on the other side of the canal, just off the Peace River. It's a natural habitat for alligators and other wildlife, so it's not uncommon for us to see alligators. We've lived here 5 yrs full time, another 4 yrs about half time between here and Miami. We have never seen an alligator climb out of the water onto our property, occasionally we will see one sunning himself at low tide on the bank of the mangrove across the canal. They mind their own business here.

That said, if I had young children or small pets roaming in our yard, I'd have it fenced in along the water just to be on the safe side. And I would never swim in the canal or river.