iStockphoto / quackersnaps/tobiasfrei/Mark Kostich
The old saying goes that if there is a freshwater body of water in Florida then there is almost certainly an alligator in it, that’s how prevalent they are here in the sunshine state. As I write this, I can see a 5ft alligator in the lake out my window here in SW Florida. They are everywhere.
That said, it is still quite rare to find alligators in swimming pools. For starters, most pools in Florida (not mine though) are screened in/caged to keep out the mosquitoes and other bugs. The cages act as a barrier to keep out most alligators and other creatures seeking freshwater. But they don’t always work!
Case in point, this alligator removal below in Tampa, Florida. Officers in Tampa were called in for a 3 AM alligator removal after a homeowner found a large one in their pool at night last week.
Alligator Removal Footage Captured By Tampa, Florida Officers’ Body Cameras
The Tampa PD enlisted the help of a local trapper who works with the police department for this. I cannot imagine that gentleman receives an abundance of calls after 2 AM asking him to come pull a gator out of a swimming pool but this is Florida after all and you never know what will happen next.
Here is the Tampa PD body camera footage posted on Facebook with a YouTube video below of the footage spliced up into a local news story, so you can choose your preferred watching medium.
The YouTube version:
All’s well that ends well, right? The Tampa Police Department wrote “What was thought to be a human intruder…turned out to be a Florida-style uninvited guest.” Adding “just after 3:00 a.m., on March 29, 2026, officers found a gator had let itself in for a solo swim. With assistance from a nuisance alligator trapper, the scaly suspect was safely removed, leaving the residents to finally enjoy some well-deserved, gator-free sleep.”
I’m not lying when I say I fully expect to find an alligator in my pool at some point. There’s no screen/cage on the pool, just a small fence separating the pool and the lake. I’ve found turtles in there, all sorts of birds. But I have yet to find an alligator in there. But I fully expect to be the person calling a trapper like these folks one day.