Alligator Nearly 12 Feet Long Kills 71-Year-Old Fisherman in Florida Lake

In a tragic incident, a nearly 12-foot alligator claimed the life of 71-year-old fisherman Steven Hamilton while he was fishing along the shore of a pond in Dr. Bradford Memorial Park in Winter Garden, Florida. This marks the second fatal alligator attack in the state during 2026, as reported by CBS News.

The attack took place on a Friday afternoon around 5 PM at the park, located about 15 miles northwest of Orlando, according to confirmation from the Winter Garden Police Department.

The reptile, measuring 11 feet and 8 inches (approximately 3.56 meters) and believed to have originated from nearby Lake Apopka, bit Hamilton and dragged him into the water.

The presence of other active alligators in the vicinity significantly hampered rescue efforts, as stated by Winter Garden Fire Chief José Gainza to FOX35.

Firefighters managed to retrieve Hamilton's body roughly two hours after the attack, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

A trapper from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) arrived at the park, captured the alligator, and euthanized it.

Police Captain Michael Mason noted that authorities had received no prior warnings about the reptile's presence near the shoreline, attributing this to the high density of alligators inhabiting Lake Apopka. "Lake Apopka has a ton of alligators, so seeing them around this part of the city is not unusual," he explained.

Mason concluded his remarks with a stern warning to the public: "Always stay vigilant. Be careful. Respect wildlife. Keep your distance. Even if they seem calm, like Florida's emblem, they can be dangerous."

The Winter Garden police and the FWC have launched a joint investigation into the incident.

Rising Alligator Threats in Florida

This tragedy marks the second fatal incident of its kind in Florida this year. The first involved Brittany Clark, 31, who lost her life in late June after being attacked while swimming in the Econlockhatchee River within the Little Big Econ State Forest in Seminole County.

In that case, the alligator severed one of Clark's arms and inflicted severe injuries on the other; she died before reaching the hospital. Authorities captured and euthanized two alligators at the scene: one measuring 13 feet and another 12.5 feet.

With these two fatalities, the historical total of deaths from alligator attacks in Florida since 1948 now stands at 34, according to state data.

Florida is home to over a million alligators and typically records around a dozen unprovoked attacks each year, although 2023 was a particularly active year with 23 incidents, two of which were fatal.

The summer and fall of 2026 have been especially intense regarding attacks: in addition to the two deaths, an 11-year-old boy lost his right hand in June after being attacked while fishing in Marion County, and a woman was injured in August in another incident on a state river.

Experts have linked the increase in alligator sightings and movements toward residential and recreational areas to a severe drought that reduced available habitat and concentrated the animals into smaller areas.

On the legislative front, Republican Congressman Greg Steube introduced a resolution in August to examine whether federal protections for the American alligator—classified as "threatened due to similarity of appearance" with the American crocodile since its population fully recovered in 1987—restrict Florida's ability to remove dangerous specimens from populated areas.