Are Florida Lakes Safe to Swim In?

My 3 year old knows that he's not allowed near any lakes where we live.  Last Summer we had a stretch of a nuisance alligators being removed from our neighborhood every week......for two months.  That's a whole bunch of 'Gators misbehaving and getting too close to people.  Our family does not mess around with alligators, ever.

Now, I know plenty of people that swim or ski in lakes throughout the state and have never had an issue.  Alligators are programmed to be afraid of humans but, occasionally well meaning folks feed them and then they start to associate food and humans.  That's not good.

I also understand that swimming in the Gulf day after day can become predictable.  It sounds like a silly problem to have but, if you're trying to teach a toddler to swim you want the toddler and his instructors to be engaged with new experiences every time you step in the water.  Which is why we sometimes skip the ocean and go a bit native.

TO THE LAGOON!!     


Swimming in a tidal salt Lagoon in Sarasota!

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