A Florida lawmaker wants the federal government to review how the protected status of American alligators affects their management following five attacks this summer that resulted in a death and lost limbs.
Congressman Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, filed a bill Aug. 17 that would require the Comptroller General and the Department of the Interior to study the alligator’s protected status of “threatened” and whether it thwarts their removal when they become a nuisance.
Although alligator populations have reboundedto an estimated 1.3 million in Florida, its resemblance to the federally threatened American crocodile allows it to keep its protected listing.
The bill also applies to the invasive common caiman, which also resembles the American crocodile.
Although not protected, the bill queries whether the caiman’s lookalike appearance has thwarted removal efforts.
“Florida families deserve to protect their children and pets in their own backyards,” Steube said in a statement. “The American alligator is an apex predator, and it’s been fully recovered since 1987. Federal lookalike rules meant to stop trafficking remain in place, but they may be discouraging Floridians from using our state’s nuisance alligator program.”
How many alligator attacks have there been in Florida in 2026?
A spate of five alligator attacks this summer included the fatal June 28 attack on 31-year-old Brittany Clark, who was killed by a 13-foot gator in the Econlockhatchee River.
Other attacks included:
∎ June 21, a 19-year-old man was bitten by an alligator while snorkelingin the Rainbow River in Marion County. He was treated at the hospital and released. An 8-foot, 3-inch long alligator was found in the area and killed.
∎ June 27, 11-year-old Brody Dituri was fishingat Nelson’s Fish Camp near Umatilla in Marion County when he was bitten on his right arm, resulting in the amputation of his hand. The Brody was putting a fish back in the water when the alligator grabbed his arm.
∎ July 3, 71-year-old James Grayson McMicken was attacked behind his North Fort Myers home while fishing from a canal bank. The alligator jumped out of the water and grabbed his right leg, dragging him into the water. The gator let go after McMicken jabbed him in the eyes. He was able to make it home and to the hospital where he was treated for bites on his leg.
∎ Aug. 8, 58-year-old Dina Rae Spann was attacked in the Silver River in Marion County where she was swimming with a group of friends. According to the New York Post, Spann had her right arm amputated below the elbow.
At least four alligators believed related to the attacks were killed, including a 13-footer that was caught “exactly” at the scene of Clark’s attack. DNA taken from that alligator was later found to match Clark’s.
Although alligators remain with a protected status, Florida established a regulated alligator harvest program in 1988 that allows permitted recreational hunters to kill alligators during specific seasonal dates. Hunters are typically allowed to take two alligators and quotas are established to prevent overharvesting.
The statement from Steube’s office said the alligator’s threatened status is meant to prevent illegal traffickers from selling protected crocodile skins as alligator skins in interstate commerce.
His bill is called the “Gathering Alligator Treatment, Oversight, and Response Act of 2026, or GATOR Act.
“The GATOR Act would examine whether that trade-focused listing has unintentionally slowed the removal of nuisance alligators and invasive caimans from areas where they pose a risk to people, pets, and property,” the statement from Steube’s office said.
Where are alligators frequently found in Florida?
Alligators live in all 67 Florida counties and in everything from neighborhood retention ponds to rivers and golf course lakes.
Florida records updated through February show that 32 people (now 33) have been killed by alligators since 1948 with another 346 suffering “major” injuries and 153 escaping with minor wounds.
Wildlife advocates said after the attack that killed Clark that they were concerned it would spur a movement to cull the Florida alligator population.
“My fear is that they will be painted with a broad brush, and someone will say they all need to be killed,” said Ron Magill, who retired this year as the communications director of Zoo Miami. “Having said that, I am in full support of a gator hunting season, which we have, and is important from a safety viewpoint and from having gators not overcrowd one area.”
Kimberly Miller is a journalist for the USA TODAY NETWORK FLORIDA. She covers weather, the environment and critters as the Embracing Florida reporter. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@pbpost.com. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at palmbeachpost.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Florida congressman pushes review of alligator protections after attacks
