Well, Erika, it’s safe to assume that every freshwater lake and river in Florida is home to at least one gator. We live on a lake and I haven’t seen one here, although I’ve heard that a small gator was spotted in the summer. Wouldn’t surprise me. Florida Fish & Wildlife has trapped gators in some of the manmade lakes around our neighborhood.

Wetlands like where Gina and I were are teeming with gators but you rarely see more than half a dozen. There are signs warning visitors to stay at least 20 feet from gators (as well as the wild horses and bison — I’ve never seen either of those). A co-worker often jogs at one of those parks and she’s texted photos of gators sunning a few feet off the walking/running path, but the ones I’ve seen are in the water or sunning on logs in the water.

Gators rarely attack humans and rarely on land. Almost always, if there is an attack, the human is in the water, usually in an area with many gators and lots of warning signs. Every year, there are a couple of news stories about gators snatching dogs being walked along the shores of a river or lake. But, they avoid humans, especially adults. Children are risky though. Best to keep dogs and children away from fresh water in Florida, especially during mating season in the spring when the males are more aggressive.