Alligators and Snakes in Jax or St. Augustine (Jacksonville, Tampa: houses, neighborhoods)

[HParr]

Someone please tell me what to do besides run if I become face to face with and Alligator or Snake in Jacksonville or St. Augustine. Yesterday I went to a Park that said Beware of Alligators! Me and the kids got out of there fast! I read that Alligators can run 30mph! What would I do if me or the kids were faced with one of these animals! Please tell me so I can be a better mom and protect and teach my kids the right thing to do. Surely it's not to run every time. I don't want them to be scared to death down here like I am - we are new to the area. We didn't have Alligators at the parks in Georgia that we used to go to! Maybe there were snakes but we never saw them. I have no idea what to do. Please tell me that there is an easy fix for this besides staying away from the parks. What do you all do? Is there some kind of spray or weapon or something that everyone uses?

[travelingfood]

carry a police grade baton?

They're part of FL wildlife so you just have to watch out for them. NO way to absolutely prevent them showing up unannounced. Might find gators around swamp water or retention ponds, they don't usually hang out in fresh waters. Don't wonder off the paths in parks.
I personally never saw any wild alligators, but plenty of snakes by retention ponds.

You can outrun alligators thought, they only do short burst of sprints. Swiftly walk away if you spot them but keep them in your sight.

[jackaroo]

Make sure you don't run in a straight line if an alligator is chasing you. They are real quick for short burst, but can't change directions easily.

That being said, I've seen them in the wild and it's hard to miss an alligator. If you don't go near it, you will be fine.

As for snakes, they are often more scared of you than you are of them. Just don't approach them or mess with them and they will leave you alone.

[HParr]

Wow you guys, thank you so much, I'm feeling better already. Seems like everytime that I go into one of my "oh my gosh, what have I done" modes regarding my move from home in Georgia to down here in Florida a few weeks ago, so many people from the city-data.com blog bring me back to reality and calm me down. I'm not sure what I would have done had I not found all of these people with all of this helpful information. Where have you been all of my life?!

I just wanted to say thank you for your help.

We have been looking at a lot in a neighborhood to build a home on that backs up to water (this is not where I saw the "Beware of Alligators!" sign, that sign was down the road outside of this neighborhood), anyway we call them ponds back home, this looks like a large pond, that has about 20-30 houses surrounding it, anyway we are planning on having a lanai with a pool, and I am going to have to put something around my house or something that wards of snakes and any other kinds of predators. I mean, what if me or one of my kids were mowing the lawn, (we have a walk behind self-propelled mower), and what if something came out of the water after one of us. Jeeze! Gosh that mower cost us a lot, I guess we'll have to buy a riding mower now or something. Hopefully it won't fall into the pond when we are mowing the yard!

[titaniummd]

I live on the golf course and there is a retention pond there. A small 4 footer is there but he doesn't chase folks.

Frequently when I golf, I see 8 footers on the end of the water. I just don't come too close.

[riveree]

Run fast!

Oh sorry, you said don't say that .

But seriously, it's been weeks since there's been a fatal alligator attack in Jacksonville, so you have a good 20% chance of not being eaten...no worries!

The only concern I really have with the alligators is for my dogs - you don't want your dogs getting near the edge of the ponds. For people, you just heighten your awareness when you're near water, but otherwise don't worry too much. As Travelingfood said, gators are sprinters, not long-distance runners.

Snakes you might see more frequently. The vast majority of snake-sightings are harmless black racers. Black racers are everywhere and they're non-poisonous, peaceful, bug-eating creatures.

I recently had an encounter with a Scarlet snake in my driveway...now that freaked me out! At first glance, they look very much like the poisonous coral snake (red and striped) and this guy was heading towards my ankle, I guess he wanted to lick me . I jumped back and moved away to get a better look and he slowly retreated into the grass. I was relieved to find out later that he was a Scarlet snake (non-poisonous) once I could look him up. I need to get better at identification so I can identify on the spot.

[TiggnTaz]

Snakes - Don't make sudden movements and try to stay away if you see them.

Gators - Have a short burst but they can not keep it up and they can not change diffections fast.

[letele]

Originally Posted by HParr

We have been looking at a lot in a neighborhood to build a home on that backs up to water (this is not where I saw the "Beware of Alligators!" sign, that sign was down the road outside of this neighborhood), anyway we call them ponds back home, this looks like a large pond, that has about 20-30 houses surrounding it, anyway we are planning on having a lanai with a pool, and I am going to have to put something around my house or something that wards of snakes and any other kinds of predators. I mean, what if me or one of my kids were mowing the lawn, (we have a walk behind self-propelled mower), and what if something came out of the water after one of us. Jeeze! Gosh that mower cost us a lot, I guess we'll have to buy a riding mower now or something. Hopefully it won't fall into the pond when we are mowing the yard!

I really don't think you have anything to worry about. As someone said before, if you have a dog, don't let it run around near the water (and of course, don't let your kids splash around in it either.) I have lived in Florida my entire life (mostly Tampa Bay area) and have not seen that many gators in neighborhoods...mostly out in the wild. (And I have never seen a gator in Jax, period, in the 4 years I've lived here.) You should be completely fine mowing your yard...if gators just popped out of the water and ate people constantly, you'd have heard about it by now. Most people who are attacked by a gator were doing something stupid and not paying attention. Just use your eyes and common sense, you'll be fine.

As for snakes, I barely ever see them. Read up on the poisonous snakes that are found in the area...probably the exact same ones you have in Georgia and you were fine there, right? I have seen a rattlesnake once (in a state park), never seen a coral snake in the wild, seen lots of water moccasins (in SoFL) and don't know a single person who's ever been bitten by any of those.

Anyway, if it will make you feel more secure, just put up a fence!

[HIF]

I always like to have a child or elderly person with me, as they usually runner a bit slower than I do.

[nj2fla]

Originally Posted by HIF

I always like to have a child or elderly person with me, as they usually runner a bit slower than I do.

or always carry a steak to appease any alligator