Gator captured after morning stroll through South Florida

Just another Friday in South Florida. An alligator was spotted roaming along a sidewalk in a Southwest Miami-Dade neighborhood.

About 6:30 a.m., neighbors reported the gator off 57th Avenue and 34th Street in the Schenley Park neighborhood which is near a canal and just west from Coral Gables.

The alligator stirred up curiosity and some excitement in the enclave. Video of the gator was posted on the Only In Dade Facebook and Instagram pages, where it’s been viewed more than 80,000 times.

“My neighbor across the street called me and said, ‘Don’t step out your front door,’” one resident Maria Mendoza told WSVN-Ch. 7. “I thought he was kidding. I go, ‘Why?’

“He goes, ‘There’s an alligator in front of your yard.’ So I said, ‘Yeah, very funny.’”

Residents called the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and trappers came out and wrangled the reptile which was nine-feet long, according to the commission.

Another resident’s video sent to WFOR-Ch. 4, showed one trapper taking control of the gator as it rolled over several times.

The gator had to be put down due to dementia, according to the commission.

A gator can be labeled a nuisance if it’s at least 4 feet long and is believed to pose a threat to people or pets.

Last year, the commission’s Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program hotline received 13,210 nuisance alligator complaints. That led to the removal of 8,455 nuisance alligators.

People worried about an alligator in their area should call the hotline at 866--392-4286.

ONLY IN DADE/COURTESY Residents of a Southwest Miami-Dade neighborhood captured footage of an alligator roaming their neighborhood early Friday morning.