An 11-foot alligator busted through the screened porch of a Florida home 'like the Kool-Aid Man' and jumped in the pool

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An 11-foot alligator busted through the screened porch of a Florida home 'like the Kool-Aid Man' and jumped in the pool
In an incident in March 2018, officials in Sarasota, Florida, received a call about an alligator in a backyard pool.Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office via AP
  • An 11-foot alligator broke through a screened-in porch to get in a pool in Volusia County, Florida.
  • Lynn Tosi said the alligator left a massive hole behind in her screen.
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An alligator in Florida was apparently set on taking a dip this week.

The 11-foot-long gator emerged from the woods, burst through the screen of an enclosed porch in Volusia County, located northeast of Orlando, and dove right into the pool, the owner of the home told local outlet WFTV.

"He busted right through there, kind of like the Kool-Aid Man, you know," Lynn Tosi told the outlet, adding the alligator left a big hole behind in her porch screen. She alerted Florida Fish and Wildlife officials and a professional was sent to remove the alligator.

"The professional coming to take him out was actually pacing and got on the phone and was really surprised by what they were up against," she said.

Alligators in Florida tend to be most active from April to June, during the mating season, so local residents typically know to look out for them. Alligator activity often picks up in March, when the weather gets warmer and they begin seeking out more prey, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Officials warn people to be especially careful around ponds and lakes.

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"It's that time of year. We're kind of used to it around here," Tosi told WFTV, adding she will also be careful around her own pool from now on as well.

An 11-foot alligator busted through the screened porch of a Florida home 'like the Kool-Aid Man' and jumped in the pool
An American alligator on a golf course in Sarasota.Stephanie Starr/EyeEm/Getty Images

Officials in Volusia County have received several reports related to alligators in the past week, including a man in Daytona Beach who said he was bitten by an alligator after he opened his front door, and another who shot an alligator that attacked his dog.

Last May, another 11-foot alligator was also spotted in the backyard pool of a home in Deep Creek, Florida. Officials at the time said that particular alligator had also torn through the screen to get to the water.

In February, an 85-year-old woman in a retirement community in St. Lucie, Florida, was killed by an alligator while trying to rescue her dog. Earlier this week a home inspector in North Carolina stumbled across an 8-foot alligator in the attic of a home.

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