Alligator confronts 911 dispatchers in parking garage at Florida sheriff’s office

Teenagers often make bad choices, and apparently the same can be said of young alligators.

On Sunday, July 24, a juvenile alligator was caught wandering the parking garage of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Administration Building in Largo, Florida. Largo is about 25 miles west of downtown Tampa.

The gator wasn’t shy about it, either. A photo shows its head was conspicuously sticking out from under a vehicle.

“After a long night of responding to 9-1-1 calls dispatchers were serenaded by this scaly gal,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a Facebook post.

“Ok, it was more of a croak than a serenade. ... Being dispatchers they knew just the number to call.”

The alligator appeared to be just over 3 feet long, which is small in a state where the record is 14 feet, 3.5 inches.

It was captured and relocated, officials said, but not before a lot of jokes were posted about it trying to reach deputies about their vehicle’s extended warranty.

The post had more than 1,600 reactions and comments on Facebook as of July 25, including some who wondered how an alligator gets into a sheriff’s office garage without being noticed.

Others pointed out that finding alligators is a widespread issue in Florida.

“Every morning when I leave my house I look under my cars looking for gators!” Danielle Testaverde posted on the sheriff’s office Facebook page.

“I would have had to quit my job,” Edward Eagle said.

“Next question is, where’s the mama!” Ariella Devore asked.

This story was originally published July 25, 2022 at 7:20 AM with the headline "Alligator confronts 911 dispatchers in parking garage at Florida sheriff’s office."