550-Pound Alligator Takes A Swim In A Florida Family's Pool

DEEP CREEK, FL — A Florida family received quite the shock when a 550-pound alligator made itself comfortable in their swimming pool, according to a Tuesday social media post from the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office.

The family heard loud noises from their backyard lanai and found the nearly 11-foot-long gator "taking a dip in their pool," according to the agency. The alligator tore through a screen in the back yard to get to the pool.

"Always check your pool before diving in!" the sheriff's office said in the post.

A photo from the post show deputies and a man wearing a Florida Wildlife Commission shirt removing the alligator from the property. It is unclear where authorities took the animal, and the sheriff's office did not immediately return an inquiry from Patch.

Alligators getting cozy in close proximity to humans is fairly common in Florida. On Easter Sunday, an alligator was seen walking through a neighborhood in Venice. A man in Tampa found an alligator swimming in his pool in 2020, and another was found swimming in a Sarasota family's pool in 2018.