WASHINGTON, Fla. (WWSB) – U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Florida, has introduced legislation that would require a federal study into whether longstanding species rules have affected the removal of nuisance alligators from waterways near homes and businesses.
The bill, called the Gathering Alligator Treatment, Oversight, and Response Act of 2026, or GATOR Act, would direct the U.S. comptroller general to conduct the study in consultation with the Interior secretary and relevant state wildlife agencies.
The legislation focuses on the federal treatment of the American alligator, common caiman and brown caiman as threatened species — a classification based on their similarity in appearance to protected species.
Alligator enters pool at Toscana Isles home, removed by trapper
Under the proposal, the study would examine whether the federal framework has affected state management programs. It would also consider whether the classification contributed to what the bill describes as more than a complete recovery of the American alligator population, or to common and brown caimans becoming invasive in Florida.
Researchers would also examine whether the classification has made it more difficult to remove nuisance alligators or invasive caimans from waterways in or near residential and commercial areas.
The measure does not change how Florida or other states currently manage alligator populations. Instead, it orders a review of the federal framework and its potential effects on wildlife management.
The bill defines the covered reptiles as the American alligator, common caiman and brown caiman.
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