LONG – A man found dead in John S. Taylor Park Lake on Tuesday could have been bitten by an alligator, authorities said.
The lake is next to a golf course. Largo police said the man is believed to have entered the water to retrieve flying saucers.
People saw an alligator near his body and local authorities sought help from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said Forest Rothchild, a spokesman for the law enforcement wing. of the Conservation Commission.
Investigators initially believed the man had drowned, Rothchild said. But when they responded around 9:30 a.m. they saw that he had other possible injuries.
Police have not publicly identified the man, saying officers were still trying to alert his family in the early hours of Tuesday. Rothchild said the man was 47 years old.
A caiman warning sign is pictured next to John S. Taylor Park Lake in Largo. [ MARTHA ASENCIO-RHINE | Times ]
People are not supposed to swim in the water, which Largo police referred to as Taylor Lake. Authorities said there were “no swimming” signs around the park.
An ATM was trying to capture the alligator on Tuesday, according to the Conservation Commission. But Rothchild said the crocodile had not been caught around noon. Investigators were still trying to determine what role, if any, the animal played in the man’s death.
Charlie Goodpasture, 34, owner of PureLine Disc Golf in Pinellas Park and a professional disc golfer, said the Taylor Park course is beautiful in part because of the wildlife.
“When people come to town, this is one of the courses that people sign up for to see the attraction of the Great Alligators,” he said. “It’s something I warn people about when they come to town, just because the locals know there’s a lot of alligators.”
Goodpasture said he believes he knew the man who died and that the man was probably looking for records to resell. A high-end drive can cost between $ 20 and $ 30 new, according to Goodpasture.
Ken Hostnick, 56, said he has been playing disc golf at Taylor Park for many years. He was there on Tuesday, chatting with other players and sharing tips on how to release a record.
Hostnick said he did not know the man who died, but that he knows people who try to pick up lost records.
“These are people who are unlucky,” he said. “Sometimes they dive into the lakes, they release 40 records. You can sell them for $ 5 a piece, and you can sell them for $ 10 a piece, depending on the quality. “
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Another man recovering records was bitten in the face by an alligator on Lake Taylor in 2020. At the time, a state wildlife spokesman said there had been no other alligator attacks reported. in the park for at least 10 years.
A state-hired alligator hunter walks across the lake in John S. Taylor Park, where a 47-year-old man was found dead in the water early Tuesday. [ MARTHA ASENCIO-RHINE | Times ]
Alligators are found everywhere in Florida, swimming and sunbathing around lakes, retention ponds, rivers and golf greens. But attacks are rare. According to the Conservation Commission, until last November, no confirmed deadly caiman bite had been documented in the state since 2019.
The park was mostly quiet on Tuesday afternoon as investigators searched for the alligator in a small section of the golf course cordoned off by police tape. Visitors walked and cycled around the lake, lined with swampy grass. The dragonflies buzzed with the thick heat of the afternoon.
People should keep their distance from wild alligators and not feed them, the state says. The alligator mating season extends to May and June.
Anyone concerned about a particular crocodile is asked to call the Conservation Commission’s annoying alligator hotline at 866-392-4286.
Times writer Josh Fiallo contributed to this report.