At least 50 gators spotted in Lake Apopka, bicyclist says

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Living in Florida, most residents are used to seeing alligators. A bicyclist told Channel 9's Sarahbeth Ackerman that he saw at least 50 alligators at Lake Apopka in Winter Garden.

The cyclist said he saw the dozens of alligators during his morning ride Wednesday.

"I've never, ever seen this many all in one place,” said Dennis Jones.

Jones owns a bicycle shop in Winter Garden. He said he usually bikes on the Lake Apopka Loop Trail once a week. He said he always sees a few alligators but not as many as he saw Wednesday.

"I would probably say there was at least 50 that we could see. Now, you don't count the ones that you don't see,” Jones said.

Lou Wagner has been riding for more than 30 years, and the Lake Apopka Loop Trail was next on his list.

"I have biked all over Florida, and literally, this area is the best for biking in all of Florida,” said Lou Wagner.

He said if he bikes the trail, he won’t do it alone.

"I'm skeptical of them. I'm always asking every time I see a body of water, I say, 'Are there gators in there?' and, they also say, 'This is Florida. Of course, there are gators in there,’" Wagner said.

The bicyclists told Eyewitness News that the gators don’t seem aggressive.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission said it has not received any calls of concern about the gators.

Cox Media Group