8-foot gator greets new Palmetto couple in driveway

A Palmetto couple moving in from Pennsylvania got an early lesson in Florida living when an eight-foot, three-inch alligator showed up in their driveway, weighing between 300 and 350 pounds. Allan and Sandy Hofmann, who moved to Manatee County in March, found the reptile parked next to their golf cart and truck one morning last week.

“I don’t think we’ve ever thought we’d really see one,” Sandy Hofmann said. “But when it was here, I was kind of mesmerized a little bit. I mean I was amazed, like, oh my gosh, we have an alligator.”

The gator did not leave on its own.

Allan Hofmann called the police. Florida Fish and Wildlife alligator trappers responded.

“I’ve never seen gator trappers in my life,” Allan said.

“They came in and dragged it off the carport over into the neighbor’s grass,” Sandy said. “Then, they took cold water, washed it down, I think it kind of slowed the alligator down a little bit. It cleaned it up a lot and then they put it in the back of the truck and took it to an alligator club med.”

“It was big, very big, very large,” Sandy said.

Sandy said she would prefer to keep her distance from the reptiles going forward.

“It was our first one we’ve ever seen, and I’d like it to be our last,” she said. “We can see them in the pond from a distance, that’s kind of nice, but not in our driveway.”

“Welcome to Florida!” the Hofmanns said. “You know, because now we’ve had an alligator experience. We can have other kind of experiences now that we’re here in Florida.”