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A woman in Venice, Florida received the ultimate surprise over the weekend when an 8-foot alligator broke into her house by knocking down a screen door.
This took place just a short drive from where I live here in Southwest Florida and where I grew up. In fact, I was just down there over the weekend to bring my pup to the Brohard Dog Beach in Venice which might have the best name of any dog beach in Florida.
Anyway… Mary Hollenback heard a banging at her screen door in the Grand Palm Community which is really more North Port than Venice but I’ll let it slide, and she then saw the 8-foot alligator had broken into her home and that’s when reality and panic set in. She shared her story with Sarasota‘s local Suncoast News Network:
Mary Hollenback also shared photos of the alligator after it broke into her house with Matt Devitt of WINK News in Ft. Myers:
GATOR INSIDE FLORIDA HOME! 🐊😳
This big guy in Venice got inside by pushing through a front screen door, into the kitchen, while she was in the living room. Only in Florida! Credit: Mary Hollenback @WINKNews pic.twitter.com/FP19aqjuti— Matt Devitt (@MattDevittWX) April 7, 2024
It’s always fun seeing my hometown in the news. In this case, it’s my home county and not my hometown and I only mention that for people who are also from this area and recognize the strict divide between Sarasota and neighboring Venice + Bradenton (Bradentucky) but Venice, Florida is in Sarasota County so the kinship exists.
They’ve got the best beaches for finding sharks teeth, or they used to before years of erosion and beach restoration… I’ll give them that.
For what it’s worth, I’ve never had an alligator break into my home in Florida. I have, however, found an alligator inside of the men’s bathroom years and years ago back when I was in high school. That was the shock of a lifetime walking in and seeing the gator staring at me.