The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has given a special five-year targeted harvest area permit to the Inter-District Authority for better control and contact with area trappers who remove alligators. There is no record of an alligator attack on a human in the community.
Officials at Lakewood Ranch (Fla.) Town Hall have been given a special state permit to better control the trapping and removal of nuisance alligators, which some residents of the master-planned community have said are a threat to their home and personal safety, the Bradenton (Fla.) Herald reported.
Inter-District Authority (IDA) Executive Director Eva Rey announced at its monthly Country Club board meeting last week that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has given a special five-year targeted harvest area permit to the IDA for better control and contact with area trappers called on to remove alligators after complaints from residents, the Herald reported.
While the permit is intended to provide a better balance that protects the alligators as well as the safety of the community, there is no record of an attack on a human in the history of the master-planned community, the Herald reported.
“This will allow us to set the conditions, and we will be vetting the trappers licensed to work in Manatee County. We can better manage the tracking process and we’ll be able to work more closely with trappers and set certain conditions,” Rey told district supervisors.
The conditions, she said, include limiting the times trappers can visit the property and limiting the length their permits can remain open to just 14 or 15 days, the Herald reported.
“These little things will help us manage the process better, yet still allow us to stay out of the process in regards to making a judgment or determination,” Rey said.
According to the Lakewood Ranch alligator policy, residents who want to report a potential gator threat can call the IDA or Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which could ultimately result in a trapper being dispatched to a district property and the gator being destroyed. The permit will allow Town Hall operations staff to work directly with the trapper and to monitor the trapper’s location, the Herald reported.
In January, country club resident Ron Jarvis told Town Hall officials there are homeowners who want alligators removed, regardless of the threat they pose, the Herald reported.
“Morally, we don’t have a right to do this just because an alligator crosses the street, moves from one pond to another or lays on a golf course.”
After learning about the permit, Jarvis said, “I was hoping for a two-prong approach, one that also tells residents there has to be a legitimate reason to get rid of alligators.”
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