[Southwest737]

Nope. Wouldn’t be a consideration in house buying.

[sowilts]

We live on a retention pond at Linden. Currently two, male and female. They don’t come up to the house and will move from place to place. Every pond may have one. They are everywhere and like everyone said do not take dogs close to the ponds which people do. Don’t feed them. Have not seen any cats. There are more dangers out there. Snakes, Owls, cinch bugs, bad drivers. They are all over Florida. Don’t worry be attentive in your surroundings.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by Southwest737

Nope. Wouldn’t be a consideration in house buying.

Yes. Would be a consideration for me. I would not want to live on any water here in The Villages.

I lived on a very large man made retention lake in south Florida for several years. That community had heavy duty grates in their water management pipes to keep gators out of the lakes where residential homes are. There were never any sightings of gators in any of those retention ponds and lakes. The Villages must not have those grates to keep gators out of our retention ponds. Enjoy your water view if you choose to live on water but it's not for me.

[JGibson]

Buy a Courtyard villa. It would be rare for an alligator to climb those fences.

[spinner1001]

Originally Posted by FFlank

Thanks! That was really what I was looking for with my original question. My original thought was that, with the established community to the north, there might be fewer gators there and more in the relatively undeveloped south. Seemed logical to me at the time I posted

The southern areas of The Villages have more natural wetlands than the northern areas (see link below for a wetlands map of Sumter County). The difference is likely due to the terrain is flatter in the southern areas of TV compared to the northern parts.

Florida Wetlands: Wetlands Near Sumter County

However, alligators also live in the man made retention ponds. I don’t know of any public information for the locations and acreages of retention ponds across TV. The northen areas certainly have retention ponds as do the southern parts. I believe the south has more natural lake areas than the north.

We live on a pond in the south and my wife is concerned but not obsessed over alligators. As others have said, your chance of a personal close encounter with an alligator is remote assuming you don’t walk your pet near water. I suggest that you learn more about alligator behavior as your concerns may lessen. Below is a link for starters.

WEC203/UW230: Living with Alligators: A Florida Reality

Assume your chance of a personal close encounter is 0.01% in the southern areas, your chance in the northern areas might be 0.001%. Is it reasonable to buy a home in the north solely because the chance is 0.009% slimmer? I don’t believe it is. There are other things to think about when buying a home. Good luck.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by Papa_lecki

Alligators all over Florida, around lakes. The lakes are connected via underground pipes, it’s part of the water management system. Gator use the pipes to move around.

you might have a gator at your front door, and you might win the lottery.

[mikeycereal]

I didn't factor in any alligators when I moved in last year. It took me several months to even see one. Saw a baby one sunning itself at the shore of each of our large ponds the other day. I just keep my distance and stay near the path. That lady who was killed brought her little dog right up to the edge of the pond and didn't see the gator's eyes moving toward them. It probably thought it was feeding time. The further you are from the edge of the pond your % of running into one go drastically below rare. I'm more concerned about bad drivers here.

[Laker14]

I think your chances of a gator encounter are slimmer in the northern areas, for the reasons mentioned, and the chances go up the closer you are to water, but they aren't zero anywhere. They do move from pond to pond, especially during mating season. Generally not a threat to humans, but I have no desire to get up close and personal.
If I had a small pet I'd be very watchful.
If I wanted to live by a water feature , I'd be extra alert, but I wouldn't let the fear of alligators keep me from living there. I'd respect their presence, but enjoy the rare sighting as a benefit of living near the water.

[ehendersonjr]

Alligators can be found anywhere there is water in Florida. That includes lakes, ponds, rivers, marshes, swamps and man-made ponds. In fact, alligators infest all 67 Florida counties, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Basic tips to abide by while living among alligators and crocodiles in Florida include: never feed a gator, keep your distance if you see one, swim only in designated swimming areas during daylight hours and keep pets on a leash away from the water. Will one show up on your doorstep? Probably not, as gators tend to fear us as much as we fear them. At some point though, you’ll be near water in TV. Keep your eyes open and pay attention. Otherwise, welcome to The Villages!

[RICH1]

The North is the best kept secret in The Villages…….

[MandoMan]

Originally Posted by FFlank

My wife and I just finished a lifestyle preview visit, and are planning on returning in a few months for a longer stay. I know that gators are a fact of life in TV, but we're not anxious to find one on our doorstep when going out to get the morning paper . When it comes time to pick a home location, is there a part of TV where a close encounter is less likely?

I’ve been here over two years and only seen one, beside a pond right behind Aviary Rec Center, and it was a hundred yards away. You are much more likely to find a black snake around your house. You are more likely to see wildlife on the nature trails than near your house.

[wbilbrey99@yahoo.com]

Only if you like Alligator bites.

[Captainpd]

Okie dokie. How many post can we post about an absolutely not smart question? If you walk close to the ponds with your bait on the end of a leash, there is a chance that at least one of you aren't coming home. JMHO

[jarodrig]

Meet Winston, our pond’s resident gator…. We enjoy seeing him whenever he desires to pay a visit.

Photo taken from our bedroom window ….

[LuvNH]

Originally Posted by FFlank

Thanks! That was really what I was looking for with my original question. My original thought was that, with the established community to the north, there might be fewer gators there and more in the relatively undeveloped south. Seemed logical to me at the time I posted

My home is north of 466 on a golf course with several retention ponds some close, some a distance away. There is a very large retention pond very close to our postal station .............. we have NEVER seen an alligator. We have lived here 18 yrs and the only thing we have seen is one coyote and a small fox. But, we would never walk a dog along the edge of any pond. It really comes down to common sense.