11-foot alligator found hiding under Jeep in Florida driveway, video shows. It roared

A testy alligator staked its claim on a Florida family’s driveway, and video shared by the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office shows it roared in anger when forced to leave.

It happened Tuesday, July 19, in Rotonda West’s Oakland Hills Place neighborhood, about 90 miles south of Tampa.

The alligator was large — 11 feet, 2 inches — and was hiding underfoot in the dark, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

“Around 1 in the morning ... the homeowner found a gator underneath their Jeep,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Florida Fish and Wildlife were called out to assist and unbelievably enough, this ... gator took out the homeowner’s light pole.”

That happened after a licensed trapper put a snare around the alligator’s neck and it went into a series of spins known as the “death roll.”

All this happened within about 10 feet of the home’s front porch, and video shows a woman was inside, watching from the window.

Hundreds have reacted and commented on the brief video, with some calling the alligator’s roaring reaction “prehistoric.”

“That would scare me awake for sure,” Ariel Christine wrote.

“Love that sound! So damn beastly,” Bobby Foster posted.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission contracts with licensed trappers to catch and remove “nuisance” alligators, which are those “believed to pose a threat to people, pets or property.” In many cases, mature “nuisance” gators are euthanized and trappers sell the meat and hide.

People worried about an alligator should call FWC’s Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286), the state advises.

This story was originally published July 22, 2022 at 10:25 AM with the headline "11-foot alligator found hiding under Jeep in Florida driveway, video shows. It roared."