Alligator halts traffic, leaving drivers scrambling on Florida boulevard, photo shows

A large and extremely confident alligator brought traffic to a standstill outside Tampa, Florida, when the roaming reptile seemingly decided 1:30 p.m. was the perfect time to cross a six-lane boulevard near Interstate 75.

It happened Monday and the alligator — estimated to be near 10-feet long — kept drivers waiting through multiple traffic-light cycles, driver Sue Blockel Juncal told McClatchy News.

She estimates it took the massive animal nearly 5 minutes to make the trek, aided by countless drivers who went out of their way to dodge it. Juncal says the sense of shared concern was both touching and funny, including one woman who kept honking her horn and yelling “Don’t hit him!” out her car window.

“He sauntered while drivers scooted around him. He’d take five steps, pause, take five more steps and pause. The honking and cars didn’t seem to bother him ... like he’d done all this before,” she said.

“I sort of enjoyed it. He was doing his thing and we were infringing on his territory. I’ve lived in Florida since ‘75 and I’ve seen alligators on golf courses, but not like this, in the middle of traffic. He was big enough that anyone who hit him would have damaged their car.”

It appeared the alligator was trying to make its way to a wooded area across the highway, Juncal said.

Juncal shared a photo of the incident Tuesday on the Florida Birds and Wildlife Facebook page, where the image has racked up more than 1,100 reactions. (The Facebook group has 29,000 members.)

Multiple commenters made jokes about the alligator ignoring all pedestrian traffic laws — just like humans. Several also noted they had seen a lone alligator crossing the same intersection in years past, always in the spring. It may have to do with mating season, they suggested.

April is when alligators begin “courtship” and mating follows in May or June, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Juncal’s photo was posted the same day the local sheriff’s office reported catching a 10-foot alligator “under a parked car at an apartment complex in Tampa.”

“It’s mating season and in general, gators become more visible and active during spring and summer!” the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office posted. “When temperatures rise, their metabolism increases, and they start looking for food.”

This story was originally published April 7, 2021 at 3:33 PM with the headline "Alligator halts traffic, leaving drivers scrambling on Florida boulevard, photo shows."