[Vinny536]

Originally Posted by Arcenal352

Lakes are nice, but assume that every single waterway (lake or canal) is full of gators. And yes, they do eat and dismember man.

My rental house is at the end of a saltwater canal a few turns from the ICW. Do alligators go in the saltwater in Florida? Here in NC it's rare to find one in salt water. I've heard alligators can't tolerate salt water.

[Crane's Rooster]

As mentioned earlier alot of coastal waters in Florida are brackish, meaning a mix of salt and fresh, so yes gators often are in areas most of us would otherwise think is saltwater. Also because there are many barrier islands and mangrove swamps off the coast, it's not uncommon for gators to be found swimming in the ocean or gulf to get to these areas. For instance Sanibel island near Ft. Myers is technically in the gulf of Mexico but has a large alligator population. At the same time, bull sharks which can tolerate fresh water can be found swimming in areas we wouldn't expect to find them such as upriver, in some cases very far up river. So not to scare you but it's not uncommon to find gators and sharks in the same water in canals, coastal areas and the intercoastal.

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by Vinny536

My rental house is at the end of a saltwater canal a few turns from the ICW. Do alligators go in the saltwater in Florida? Here in NC it's rare to find one in salt water. I've heard alligators can't tolerate salt water.

Not that I know of.
But sharks are a problem in Florida saltwaters...

Edit: See above post.

[hotkarl]

Moral of the story:
Don't go swimming in Florida.

[DanielAvery]

Don't view Florida as one distinct place. It's a large state and each region of the state has its own personality. The old joke is that the people of Northern Florida are more like Southerners, whereas Southern Floridians are more 'Northern'. But even more sub-divisions are evident, so avoid generalizations written by people who want to pigeon-hole the state as one thing or another.

Oh, and the place is full of angry, old people. [/rimshot]

[StreetSmarts]

road rage / idiot drivers, as said before sharks/gators/things that bite.

invest in: a ccw, rosetta stone, full coverage on your vehicle(s), sun block

[unquiltom]

If you don't have a garage, a car cover is a good investment if you leave your car in the sun for a good part of the day. My car no longer has clearcoat on the front and back bumpers, thanks to the Florida sun.

[jambo101]

When parking car at the beach resist the urge to take your shoes off till you actually get to the beach or you may discover a patch of Floridas sand spurs.=
https://www.google.ca/#safe=active&q=sand+spurs

Also get into the habit of shaking your shoes out before you put them on.
https://www.google.ca/#safe=active&q=Florida+scorpions

[flyboytampabay]

Gators will go into salt water. When walking in the ocean do the stingray shuffle. Shuffle your feet when you walk. Keep checking your shoes. Sunscreen,

[markjames68]

Originally Posted by cfbs2691

And don't drive around with your emergency lights flashing.

Because that's actually illegal, although many people do it.