Monster 12-foot gator dragged out of Palm Beach County lake

LAKE WORTH — Tim Cotteleer and his 7-year-old daughter were doing their weekly walk last week around scenic Lake Osborne when they came across a 12-foot gator that had been hauled out of the lake and surrounded by trappers.

"My heart went out to that gator," said Cotteleer, who grew up in Lake Worth. "You just removed something from its home. (Lake Osborne) is a big lake. There's going to be alligators in them. I've seen them. There are snakes in there too. But you have to appreciate and respect nature. That's what I teach my daughter."

Carol Lyn Parrish, a Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission spokeswoman, said somebody must have called with a concern.

"We would not come out and remove the alligator without receiving some type of call or complaint about the alligator," Parrish said. "Questions are asked about certain behavior of the alligator and what the concern is and that has to be met before a permit is issued."

It is a question that divided a lot of Lake Worth residents, who frequent the lake.

Leslye Harden has lived across the street from Lake Osborne, just west of Interstate 95, for three years and has never had a problem with alligators.

"I've seen them," said Harden, 42. "But I've never had any concern about gators coming up on my yard. I've never seen them come up on the land right in front of my house. I just see them cruising in the lake."

Many residents, however, were upset.

Lynn Anderson, who runs the Facebook page John Prince Park Preservation, said she was appalled.

"It's their environment, too, and their habitat," she said. "They've been living here for years. Gators really don't like humans to eat. They eat other things like fish. He was probably out there sunning himself to get warm."

Alligators typically range from 9 to 14 feet so a 12-foot one is rare. The Florida state record for length is 14 feet, 3 1/2 inches from Lake Washington in Brevard County, according to the FWC. This one was likely a male because females rarely are larger than 10 feet.

Gail Silverblatt said she has seen the large gator in the area for years. "I have never seen him be aggressive or go for people or dogs," she said. "I was surprised to see the person who captured him wearing shorts and sandals. That says something on how mild-mannered this gator must have been."

Andrea Trainor said she saw no reason for the gator to be removed. "Every resident that has commented had nothing but positive things to say about him," she said.

There is a concern, however, that as gators and humans interact more, gators can become more aggressive if they are being fed.

Lake Osborne has had issues with gators before:

- In 2009, Raymundo Velasco lost part of his index finger on his left hand and the tip of his thumb after being attacked. The private contractor for Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation was picking up trash near the bank when he reached into the water.

- In 2017, a small crowd of passersby gathered as a trapper captured a 13-foot gator after it wandered near a fitness trail at least 30 feet from the lake.

Patricia Kowalski, walking Elia, her 7-year-old Pekingese right by Lake Osborne, said she's not nervous about gators. "As long as you have common sense not to bother them, they won't bother you," she said. "I saw a big one about two months ago. I wouldn't put my hand in the water."

The FWC operates the Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program, where people can report a suspicious gator. If the Commission determines the gator poses a risk to the public, it will assign a trapper that it contracts with and licenses.

Parrish said most of the gators caught are euthanized or possibly relocated. "The trappers don't submit their reports until the 15th of each month, so I wouldn't be able to tell you anything ... on what happened to the alligator until then," she said. "Most gators over 4 feet are euthanized."

The Palm Beach Post reached out to the trapper, Michael Mentado, but never heard back. Parrish said trappers sign a contract with their agency and don't speak with the press.

However, Eric Call, director of Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation, said he was told by his staff that the gator was being relocated to Clewiston.

"It left with the trapper and wasn't hog-tied or anything like that," Call said. "It had its mouth taped and was in the vehicle. Alligators have been here for thousands of years, and we share the environment with nature."

Meanwhile, Harden said she saw when the gator was captured. It broke her heart. "I have no concern at all about them," she said. "I watch kids playing out there all the time."

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Jim Coleman contributed to this report.