Lake Apopka Alligator Attack Is Florida's Second Fatal Case This Year
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A 71-year-old man fishing from the shore of Lake Apopka in Florida was killed Friday by an alligator of nearly 12 feet, the Winter Garden Police Department said. It is the second fatal alligator attack in the state this year, according to ABC News and Fox News.
The victim was Steven Hamilton of Winter Garden. Other alligators in the water kept rescuers from reaching him, and wildlife trappers later captured and killed the animal that attacked him.
What happened at Lake Apopka
Police said Hamilton was standing on the shoreline at Dr. Bradford Memorial Park, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northwest of Orlando, when the alligator struck around 5 p.m. Winter Garden Fire Chief Jose Gainza told FOX 35 that emergency crews tried to reach him but could not because other alligators were active in the water.
ABC News reported that his body was recovered about two hours later. Fox News said it was recovered by 7 p.m.
Police said authorities had not been told beforehand that an alligator was near the shore. A police official, Michael Mason, suggested that may be because the lake “has tons of alligators in it.” Reports differ on his title: ABC News calls him a police captain, while Fox News calls him the police chief.
Mason said police have opened a joint investigation with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, whose trappers captured and killed the alligator. The commission expressed sympathy to Hamilton's family and loved ones, according to Fox News.
How fatal attacks have added up since 1948
- 1948: The starting point for the state data cited by both outlets. Counting Hamilton, 34 people have been killed by alligators in Florida since then.
- 1987: Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Steube has said the American alligator fully recovered as a species by this year. ABC News reported it is still protected under a listing as “threatened due to similarity of appearance,” which he said is meant to prevent trafficking and the hunting of the similar-looking American crocodile.
- 2023: An 85-year-old widow was dragged from her backyard by an alligator while walking her dog, ABC News reported.
- May 2025: Cynthia Diekema, 61, was killed after an alligator tipped her out of her canoe, according to Fox News.
- June 2026: Brittany Clark, 31, of Oviedo, was killed near her home by a 13-foot alligator. Afterward, Steube introduced a resolution asking the Comptroller General and the U.S. Department of the Interior to study how the listing affects Florida's ability to remove nuisance alligators from residential and commercial waterways.
- Friday: Hamilton was attacked at Lake Apopka, bringing the 2026 total to two deaths.
Why it matters for people near Florida waterways
Fox News noted that American alligators live throughout Florida, though attacks are rare. The two deaths this year happened in very different places: a residential area near a home in Oviedo and a public park shoreline in Winter Garden.
The Lake Apopka case also shows how hard a rescue can be when several animals are present. According to the fire chief, the other alligators in the water prevented crews from reaching Hamilton.
Mason urged people to stay aware of their surroundings and keep their distance from wildlife. He said alligators can look docile, like the “Florida emblem,” but can be dangerous. Police said no one had warned them that an alligator was near the shore, and Mason said the lake holds many of the animals.
What happens next
The Winter Garden Police Department and the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission are conducting a joint investigation into the attack. Steube's resolution, which asks for a study of the alligator's federal listing and its effect on nuisance-animal removal, was introduced after the June death. The sources do not report that it has advanced.
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