Florida Deputy Pulls Gator Out Of Woman’s Pool With Bare Hands And The Internet Is Going Wild
Imagine stepping outside on a sunny morning, ready to enjoy your pool… only to spot two little eyes and a scaly snout floating among your pool noodles.
Yep, that’s exactly what happened to one family in St. Augustine, Florida. And let’s just say, they weren’t the only ones who wanted to take a dip that day!
When the startled homeowners saw a small alligator casually lounging in their backyard pool, they quickly called the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.
And lucky for them, the responding deputy, Richardson, seemed to have nerves of steel, and maybe a little bit of that classic “Florida man” bravery in him.
The moment was caught on his body camera, and the video is both hilarious and jaw-dropping.
You can see Deputy Richardson crouching by the pool, reaching right in with his bare hands to grab the gator by its neck.
No fancy tools. No hesitation. Just pure confidence.
You can hear him calmly speaking to the angry little reptile, who’s clearly not thrilled about being evicted:
“I got you, you’re fine. I know, you’re super mad.”
The woman laughs in the background, clearly impressed, saying:
“Obviously, you grew up here!”
And honestly, that’s probably the best compliment a Florida deputy can get. She also adds:
“Florida grown at its finest.”
After safely pulling the gator from the pool, Richardson led it away from the home, telling the homeowners that he would take it somewhere safer, to a pond far from any backyards or swimming pools.
But before leaving, he did something that made everyone smile: he carefully strapped the little gator into the backseat of his patrol car like an unexpected but slightly cranky passenger, saying:
“You know what, let me buckle you in.”
The sheriff’s office later shared the hilarious footage online and wrote:
“The alligator wasn’t happy its pool time was over or about the ride in the patrol car, but it was buckled in and safely relocated to a nearby pond by Deputy Richardson.”
The post quickly went viral, and it’s easy to see why. Only in Florida would a deputy end up chauffeuring an alligator to its new home!
While it’s a funny story, it also shows that sharing space with wildlife comes with surprises.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, there are about 1.3 million alligators in the state, one for every 17 Floridians! They’re found in all 67 counties, from lakes and ponds to backyards and golf courses.
And while most people know how to coexist with their scaly neighbors peacefully, the “potential for conflict always exists.”
The FWC always reminds residents never to feed an alligator, and always keep pets and kids a safe distance from the water.
Still, stories like this remind us why we love Florida so much, where even a morning swim can turn into an adventure, and a brave deputy like Richardson can turn an unexpected gator rescue into a moment that makes everyone smile.
