Fisherman, 71, attacked and killed by 12-foot alligator alongside Florida lake

A 71-year-old man fishing on the shore of a Florida pond was attacked and killed on Friday by a nearly 12-foot alligator, the second fatal such attack reported this year.

Steven Hamilton of Winter Garden was standing on the shoreline of Lake Apopka at Dr. Bradford Memorial Park, 15 miles (24 kilometers) northwest of Orlando, when the reptile struck around 5 p.m., the Winter Garden Police Department said.

The presence of other active alligators in the water complicated any chance of rescuing Hamilton, whose body was recovered around two hours later, Winter Garden Fire Chief Jose Gainza told FOX35.

Hamilton’s death marked the second deadly alligator attack in Florida this year.

After a 31-year-old Oviedo woman, Brittany Clark, was killed by a 13-foot alligator near her home in June, Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Steube introduced a resolution calling for the Comptroller General and U.S. Department of the Interior to study the impacts of the American alligator’s listing as “threatened due to similarity of appearance” on Florida’s ability to remove nuisance alligators from residential and commercial waterways. He said the species has been fully recovered since 1987, but it remains protected to prevent trafficking and the hunting of the similar-looking American crocodile.

Using a 61-year-old woman tipped out of her canoe by an alligator in 2025 and an 85-year-old widow who was dragged out of her backyard by an alligator while walking her dog in 2023.

Police Capt. Michael Mason said authorities were not alerted in advance Friday that an alligator was near the shoreline of the lake, possibly because the lake “has tons of alligators in it.” He said police have launched a joint investigation with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, whose trappers captured and killed the animal.

“Always be aware of your surroundings. Always be safe,” he said. “Wildlife: Respect it. Keep your distance. It looks like it’s docile, it looks like your Florida emblem, but it can be dangerous.”