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Florida World Nature, Eustis, FL (2026)

08/27/2026

The Atlantic was powerful enough to tear this massive steel buoy free, carry it ashore, and drive it deep into the sand.

And years later, the ocean is still slowly taking it apart.

08/25/2026

I’ve explored many preserves, rivers, and wild places across Florida — but this stretch of the Santa Fe River gave me so many little discoveries that it’s going to take a while to share them all. 💚

These are two more tiny springs I found tucked along the side of the river during my paddle from the US-27 bridge to the US-47 bridge.

They may be small, but that’s part of what made them feel so special. Just little openings in the landscape, quietly sending clear groundwater into the Santa Fe.

This route kept surprising me over and over again — springs, wildlife, hidden side channels, exposed limestone, and beautiful places I never expected to find.

I’m still sorting through everything I brought home from this journey, so there are many more Santa Fe discoveries to come. 🛶💧

08/25/2026

Just a few months ago, this landscape was beneath the waters of Lake Jackson.

Now I'm walking across the exposed lakebed.

Vegetation has returned astonishingly quickly. Grasses, wetland plants, and young trees are already transforming what was recently open water into a completely different landscape.

But hidden among all that new growth is one of the features responsible for Lake Jackson's extraordinary disappearing act — Porter Sinkhole.

Lake Jackson is a naturally fluctuating karst lake. When conditions are right, water drains through sinkholes into the underlying limestone system, sometimes exposing enormous portions of the lakebed.

Standing here makes it difficult to imagine this entire landscape underwater again.

But Lake Jackson has disappeared and returned many times before.

I'm continuing to document this remarkable stage in the life of the lake — while the bottom is still accessible and this temporary landscape still exists. 💚

08/23/2026

Big Dismal was one of the most impressive stops along my hike on the Sinkhole Trail.

From the trail, the landscape suddenly opens into this enormous karst depression — steep, deep, heavily forested, and almost impossible to understand in scale from a single viewpoint.

Florida's limestone landscape is full of hidden openings, sinkholes, underground drainage systems, and flooded caves, but standing at the edge of something this large makes that hidden geology feel very real.

Big Dismal is part of the Leon Sinks karst system — an extensive underground network of sinkholes, conduits, and flooded caves connected to the Wakulla Springs system. Dye tracing and cave exploration have confirmed hydrologic and physical connections between Leon Sinks and Wakulla Springs.

This underground world is also closely tied to the same karst landscape that shapes Lake Jackson — the disappearing lake I am currently documenting as it drains, refills, and changes over time.

And the scale goes far beyond this trail. The entire region is part of the Floridan aquifer system, a vast groundwater system extending beneath Florida and into parts of Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina.

Standing beside Big Dismal is a reminder that some of Florida's most dramatic landscapes are not above us at all.

They are hidden beneath our feet. 🌿

08/19/2026

🌿 Florida Field Note: The GATOR Act & Alligator Season

A new federal bill concerning alligator management has been introduced in the U.S. House by a representative from Florida — but it has "not become law".

The "GATOR Act of 2026" would call for a federal study examining how the current federal classification of American alligators and certain caimans affects state wildlife-management programs, including the removal of nuisance alligators from waterways near residential and commercial areas.

For now, it is simply a proposed federal bill. "No new alligator-management rules have taken effect because of it."

At almost the same time, Florida’s annual "Statewide Alligator Harvest" season began on August 15.

The timing may make the two seem connected, but they are separate.

Florida’s statewide alligator harvest is a long-running wildlife-management program that has operated since 1988. Hunting is regulated through permits, designated harvest areas, and quotas intended to allow animals to be removed while maintaining a stable alligator population.

The regular statewide season runs from "August 15 through November 1", beginning with four assigned harvest periods followed by an open period for permitted hunters who have not filled their tags.

So, two alligator stories are happening at once:

🐊 "GATOR Act" → a newly introduced federal proposal for a study.

🐊 "Statewide Alligator Harvest" → an established annual Florida wildlife-management program already underway.

For now, nothing about the regular harvest season was created by the GATOR Act — they simply happen to be in the news at the same time. 💚

08/19/2026

This was the last tiny trickle I saw flowing from Poe Springs just a couple of weeks ago. Now, it is gone. 💚

On August 16, it was officially reported that Poe Springs had stopped flowing.

Over the past several weeks, I’ve been gathering information about this spring—including fascinating historical records, past flow data, and my own water observations using test kits and a microscope.

I originally planned to document a spring struggling with unusually low flow. Now, those observations may help explore a different question: what happens to the water when a spring stops flowing?

I’m still putting the pieces together and may share some of what I find in the future.

08/18/2026

Another little gift from the Santa Fe River. 💚

While paddling downstream, I came across yet another beautiful spring tucked along the river.

I couldn't just paddle past without stopping.

So I pulled in, admired that crystal-clear water for a moment, said hello... and continued on my way. 🛶

Sometimes an adventure doesn't need a big discovery.

Just a little “hello” to something beautiful along the way.

08/18/2026

NOT ENDANGERED.
STILL PROTECTED? ⚠️

Florida has an estimated 1.3 million alligators.

They live in all 67 counties.

The population is healthy and stable, regulated hunting is legal, and nuisance alligators are removed every year.

So why is the American alligator still federally protected?

The answer is not simply about how many alligators exist.

FIRST—THE ALLIGATOR REALLY WAS ENDANGERED

The American alligator first received federal protection in 1967.

Its population had declined because of unregulated hunting, illegal commercial killing, trade in hides and loss of wetland habitat.

When the Endangered Species Act was enacted in 1973, the alligator’s endangered classification continued under the new law.

Protection, enforcement, regulated management and habitat conservation allowed populations to recover.

By 1987, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that the American alligator no longer qualified as endangered or threatened based on its own biological status.

But it was not simply removed from the federal system.

Instead, it was classified as:

THREATENED DUE TO SIMILARITY OF APPEARANCE

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

The official abbreviation is:

T(S/A)

It does NOT mean the American alligator is biologically threatened with extinction.

The Endangered Species Act allows a common species to receive this classification when:

• It closely resembles an endangered or threatened species.

• Enforcement officers would have substantial difficulty distinguishing between them.

• That difficulty could create an additional threat to the protected species.

• Extending protection to the similar-looking species makes the law easier to enforce.

In this case, the American alligator resembles the federally threatened American crocodile and other protected crocodilians.

CAN’T PEOPLE TELL AN ALLIGATOR FROM A CROCODILE?

A living adult alligator can often be distinguished by its broad, rounded snout, darker color and the arrangement of its teeth.

But wildlife trafficking does not always involve a complete, living animal.

An inspector may be looking at:

• A raw hide.

• A piece of leather.

• A finished belt.

• A handbag.

• Shoes.

• Another manufactured product.

Identifying the exact crocodilian species from processed skin can be much more difficult.

Without a traceable system, someone could claim:

“This is legal alligator skin.”

When it might actually come from an illegally taken protected crocodile.

WHY PROTECT THE COMMON SPECIES?

The classification creates a controlled chain:

LEGAL HARVEST
→ LICENSE
→ PERMIT
→ TAG
→ RECORD
→ LEGAL TRADE

It helps prevent illegally obtained alligator products—and products from protected look-alike species—from entering legal interstate or international commerce.

The protection is therefore not only about preventing the American alligator from disappearing.

It is also about:

• Controlling illegal wildlife trade.

• Protecting similar crocodilian species.

• Verifying legal origin.

• Making enforcement possible after an animal has become a skin or manufactured product.

DOES “PROTECTED” MEAN ALLIGATORS CANNOT BE HUNTED?

NO.

The federal classification allows state-approved management and control programs.

Florida has:

• A Statewide Alligator Harvest Program.

• A Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program.

• A Private Lands Alligator Management Program.

• Regulated alligator farming.

• Regulated egg and hatchling collection.

• Legal processing and sale of meat and hides.

But alligators may be legally taken only by properly licensed and permitted individuals.

PROTECTED DOES NOT MEAN UNTOUCHABLE.

It means:

MANAGED.
PERMITTED.
DOCUMENTED.
TRACEABLE.

HOW DOES REGULATED HUNTING FIT WITH CONSERVATION?

Harvest quotas are based on population monitoring, nest surveys and local population densities.

The goal is to determine how many animals can be removed without causing long-term harm to the population.

Lawfully harvested alligators receive identifying tags. Permits, records and inspections help establish where the animals came from and whether their products can legally enter commerce.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has described this system as a conservation success combining:

• Sustainable regulated harvest.

• Habitat protection.

• Enforcement.

• Economic incentives for landowners to preserve alligator habitat.

WHAT ABOUT INTERNATIONAL TRADE?

The American alligator is also covered by CITES—the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

CITES is separate from the Endangered Species Act.

In 1975, the American alligator was placed in CITES Appendix I, which applies to species threatened with extinction and heavily restricts commercial international trade.

In 1979, it was transferred to Appendix II.

Appendix II allows regulated commercial trade, but requires permits and proof that specimens were legally acquired and that trade will not threaten the species’ survival.

Appendix II may also include a species because regulating its trade helps protect similar-looking species.

Again:

NOT ENDANGERED does not mean UNREGULATED.

WHY NOT REMOVE EVERY PROTECTION NOW?

Because the current framework does more than protect population numbers.

It helps:

• Prevent poaching.

• Control interstate and international trade.

• Trace legally harvested skins.

• Protect threatened crocodilians with similar skin.

• Support state management and enforcement.

• Finance research and conservation.

• Allow sustainable legal harvest.

• Allow removal of nuisance alligators.

The question is not only:

“How many alligators exist?”

It is also:

“Can authorities prove that this skin was legally obtained—and that it did not come from a protected species?”

WHAT IS THE NEW GATOR ACT?

On August 17, 2026, U.S. Representative Greg Steube of Florida introduced the:

GATHERING ALLIGATOR TREATMENT, OVERSIGHT, AND RESPONSE ACT OF 2026

Or:

GATOR ACT

The proposal followed renewed public attention after a fatal Central Florida alligator attack.

But the title can make the proposal sound much larger than it currently is.

WHAT WOULD THE GATOR ACT ACTUALLY DO?

It would require the U.S. Comptroller General, working with the Department of the Interior and relevant state wildlife agencies, to study how the similarity-of-appearance classification affects:

• State reptile-management programs.

• Populations of American alligators, common caimans and brown caimans.

• Whether the American alligator has experienced what the bill calls “more than a complete recovery.”

• Whether the classification contributed to common or brown caimans becoming invasive in Florida.

• Whether it has made nuisance alligators or invasive caimans more difficult to remove from waterways near homes and businesses.

WHAT WOULD IT NOT DO?

The GATOR Act would NOT immediately:

• Remove federal protection.

• Delist the American alligator.

• Change Florida hunting regulations.

• End permit requirements.

• Change the nuisance-alligator program.

• Authorize people to remove or kill alligators themselves.

• Change how any state currently manages its alligator population.

It calls for a federal study.

That is all the current proposal does.

QUESTIONS ARE NOT FINDINGS

The GATOR Act asks whether the federal classification makes nuisance removal more difficult or has contributed to “more than complete recovery.”

Those are questions proposed for study.

They are not established conclusions.

As of August 18, 2026, the existing laws and programs remain in effect.

THE SIMPLE ANSWER

IS THE AMERICAN ALLIGATOR ENDANGERED?

→ NO.

IS IT BIOLOGICALLY THREATENED?

→ NO.

DOES IT STILL HAVE A FEDERAL T(S/A) CLASSIFICATION?

→ YES.

WHY?

→ TO REGULATE TAKE AND TRADE AND HELP PROTECT SIMILAR ENDANGERED OR THREATENED CROCODILIANS.

CAN FLORIDA STILL MANAGE, HUNT AND REMOVE ALLIGATORS?

→ YES—THROUGH APPROVED LICENSES, PERMITS AND PROGRAMS.

DID THE NEW GATOR ACT REMOVE ANY PROTECTION?

→ NO.

DID IT CHANGE FLORIDA’S CURRENT RULES?

→ NO.

WHAT DOES IT PROPOSE?

→ A FEDERAL STUDY.

The American alligator is not protected because Florida is running out of alligators.

It is protected because regulated harvest, traceable trade and similarity-of-appearance rules help keep illegal crocodilian products out of legal commerce.

This is not a story of conservation failure.

It is what happened after a species recovered—and the legal system built around that recovery remained part of how wildlife trade is controlled. 💚

Based on current information from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Florida FWC, the Federal Register, CITES regulations and the official text of the GATOR Act of 2026.

08/18/2026

WHAT IS A “NUISANCE ALLIGATOR”? ⚠️

You see an alligator in a Florida lake, river, pond or canal.

Does that automatically make it a “nuisance alligator”?

NO.

Alligators naturally live throughout Florida. Seeing one in its habitat does not mean it is aggressive, dangerous—or unwanted.

So what does this official term actually mean?

WHAT IS A NUISANCE ALLIGATOR?

According to Florida FWC, an alligator may generally be considered a nuisance when:

• It is at least four feet long.

AND

• The caller believes it poses a threat to people, pets or property.

But four feet alone does not make an alligator a nuisance.

The animal’s location, behavior and potential threat all matter.

DOES “NUISANCE” MEAN “AGGRESSIVE”?

Not necessarily.

An alligator does not have to attack, bite, hiss or chase someone before a complaint can qualify.

“Nuisance” is a management term for a specific alligator in a specific situation—not a personality diagnosis.

An alligator simply resting on a bank, crossing the water or swimming away from people is not automatically a nuisance.

WHAT BEHAVIOR MAY BE CONCERNING?

Examples may include an alligator that:

• Repeatedly approaches people, boats or occupied shorelines.

• Regularly returns to docks, homes, swimming areas or places where pets are walked.

• Shows unusually little fear of people.

• Appears to expect food.

• Associates people, boats, fishing activity or docks with food.

• Enters a swimming pool, garage, porch or another unacceptable location.

• Appears to pose a specific threat to people, pets or property.

These are examples—not a rigid behavioral checklist. FWC evaluates the specific circumstances.

WHAT ABOUT ALLIGATORS UNDER FOUR FEET?

FWC says alligators under four feet are generally not large enough to be dangerous to people or pets unless handled.

Never handle one.

Even a small alligator can inflict a serious bite, and handling a wild alligator without authorization is illegal.

There are exceptions to the four-foot guideline. A smaller alligator may need to be removed if it enters a pool, garage, porch or similar location.

WHO DECIDES WHAT HAPPENS?

If someone believes an alligator poses a threat, they can call Florida FWC’s Nuisance Alligator Hotline:

866-FWC-GATOR
866-392-4286

The process generally works like this:

1. A person reports the alligator.

2. The Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program—SNAP—evaluates whether the complaint meets its criteria.

3. If it qualifies, SNAP issues a permit to a contracted nuisance alligator trapper.

4. The trapper is authorized to remove that specific animal.

5. The property owner or management authority must grant legal access before an alligator can be removed from private or publicly managed property.

The caller begins the process—but does not receive permission to capture, move or kill the alligator personally.

WHAT HAPPENS TO A REMOVED ALLIGATOR?

This is the part many people do not realize:

Nuisance alligators are generally not relocated to another beautiful, remote wetland.

FWC explains that relocated alligators often attempt to return to where they were captured. Along the way, they may create new conflicts.

Remote habitats also already contain established alligator populations and social structures. Introducing another alligator may cause fighting and result in the death of either the relocated animal or a resident.

Removal, therefore, generally means the nuisance alligator will be harvested or euthanized—not released somewhere else.

Contracted nuisance trappers are primarily compensated through the legal sale of meat and hides from the alligators they remove, along with a small possible expense reimbursement from FWC.

WHY IS FEEDING ILLEGAL?

An alligator is a powerful, armored predator.

But humans are not its normal prey.

A wild alligator usually keeps its distance from people. Feeding can destroy that natural boundary.

It teaches the animal:

HUMAN = FOOD
BOAT = FOOD
DOCK = FOOD
SPLASHING = FOOD

The person who feeds it may leave safely.

The next person may not.

A conditioned alligator may later approach an innocent swimmer, kayaker, angler, child or pet owner who never fed it—and has no idea why it is coming closer.

That is why intentionally feeding or enticing a wild alligator with food is illegal in Florida.

The law is not only protecting the person holding the food.

It protects everyone who may encounter that alligator afterward.

And because a food-conditioned alligator may become a nuisance animal and be killed, the law also protects the alligator.

A REAL CASE

In June 2012, Everglades airboat captain Wallace “Wally” Weatherholt was conducting a tour with passengers aboard.

According to witnesses, he held a fish over the side of the boat to entice a nine-foot alligator closer for the tourists.

The alligator lunged and severed his left hand.

Wildlife officers located and euthanized the alligator. Weatherholt’s hand was recovered from its stomach, but doctors could not reattach it.

Six weeks later, Weatherholt was arrested and charged with unlawfully feeding an alligator—a second-degree misdemeanor in Florida.

The law existed for exactly this reason.

Feeding did not make the alligator friendly.

It brought a large predator closer to a boat full of people, seriously injured the guide and ultimately cost the alligator its life.

In this case:

THE GUIDE LOST HIS HAND.

THE ALLIGATOR LOST ITS LIFE.

THE FEEDING RESULTED IN A CRIMINAL CHARGE.

THE MOST IMPORTANT DISTINCTION

A wild alligator existing in its natural habitat is not automatically a nuisance.

An alligator deliberately trained to approach people for food may become one.

So:

SEEING AN ALLIGATOR
→ DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY MAKE IT A NUISANCE

REAL THREAT TO PEOPLE, PETS OR PROPERTY
→ CALL FWC

SMALL ALLIGATOR IN A POOL, GARAGE OR PORCH
→ CALL FWC

ALLIGATOR APPROACHING FOR FOOD
→ CREATE DISTANCE + REPORT THE CONCERN

IMMEDIATE DANGER
→ CALL 911

NEVER FEED AN ALLIGATOR.

NEVER ENTICE ONE WITH FOOD.

DON’T TEACH A POWERFUL PREDATOR TO APPROACH PEOPLE.

The person who suffers later may have done absolutely nothing wrong.

Respect the animal.

Protect the next person.

And protect the alligator from becoming the next one removed. 💚

Based on guidance from Florida FWC and reporting by ABC News, CBS News and the Associated Press.

08/15/2026

I found this enormous little creature on Cumberland Island — almost the size of my pinky. 😳

It was slowly making its way across the ground before trying to burrow back into the sand.

It certainly looks like a large scarab beetle grub, but identifying beetle larvae from appearance alone can be tricky. So I'm leaving this one open to the insect experts. 🧐

Take a close look at that strange translucent abdomen — you can actually see movement inside.

What kind of beetle do you think this little monster will become? 🪲

Nature can be strange. 💚

Florida World Nature

08/27/2026

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