Recent storms flush wildlife out of marshes and wetlands

Historic City News was called this morning when, at about 9:20 a.m., Flagler County deputies were called to the intersection of Cypress Point Parkway and Cypress Edge Drive to assist a native Palm Coaster who decided to cross the busy commercial highway.

A member of the Flagler County Sheriff’s “Citizens on Patrol” team spotted a determined American alligator, said to be more than 5-feet long, in the bushes near the crosswalk.

“It was sitting by the sidewalk and suddenly scampered across the entire roadway using the crosswalk,” Corporal Kenny Goncalves told local reporters. “He just walked across like it was normal.”

Goncalves and Deputy Jonathon Duenas held traffic to allow the critter to cross, which took less than a minute according to the incident report.

A trapper from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was called, but before he could arrive, the gator went to a wooded lot and back to its natural habitat, so the trapper was canceled.

Photo credits: © 2016 Historic City News contributed photograph by COP Mark Olson