“I don’t want him turning around on me,” a deputy can be heard saying as he approached the alligator from behind.<\/p>\n
Then comes a hiss and tail snap.<\/p>\n
![\"cbsmiami-alligator0florida-home-1.jpg](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/cbsmiami-alligator0florida-home-1.jpg#.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
This image comes from body cam video released by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office showing a trapper working to remove an alligator from a home south of Tampa.<\/p>\n
Manatee County Sheriff’s Office\/Facebook<\/p>\n
“Yeah. Just like that,” the deputy jokes.<\/p>\n
The video then jumps ahead to another angle showing a deputy walking by the still alligator before it lets out a large hiss and lunges forward, forcing a deputy to jump out of the way.<\/p>\n
The other deputies can be heard laughing before realizing they needed extra help.<\/p>\n
“Stay clear of it,” a deputy can be heard saying. “This is a job for a trapper.”<\/p>\n
The trapper arrives and the video shows him working to get the alligator out of the backyard.<\/p>\n
But not before it put up a fight.<\/p>\n
Once the alligator was removed, the trapper said he was going to measure it.That’s when deputies realized they underestimated the size of the animal.<\/p>\n
“It was 8 foot four (inches),” the trapper says.<\/p>\n
The deputy then laughs.<\/p>\n
“We were way off,” he said.<\/p>\n
Staying safe from alligators in Florida<\/p>\n
Alligators have inhabited Florida’s marshes, swamps, rivers and lakes for centuries and are found in all of Florida’s 67 counties.<\/p>\n
As people continue to move to Florida, there is a bigger need for buyers seeking waterfront homes, and more interest in water-related activities. That’s where there is a bigger risk of more frequent alligator-human interactions, according to officials.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"cbsmiami-tampa-alligator.jpg](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/cbsmiami-tampa-alligator.jpg#.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
This image shows a Florida deputy approaching an alligator.<\/p>\n
Manatee County Sheriff’s Office\/Facebook<\/p>\n
Keep a safe distance and never feed an alligator: The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said<\/a> that, when fed, alligators can quickly overcome their natural wariness and learn to associate people with food.<\/p>\n Swim only in designated swimming areas during daylight hours: Alligators are most active between dusk and dawn.<\/p>\n Keep pets on a leash and away from water: The FWC said that because pets can resemble an alligator’s natural prey<\/a>, it’s important to keep dogs, cats and other pets on a leash and 10 feet away from the water’s edge to prevent conflict with an alligator.<\/p>\n