Mating season comes earlier than May. I don't live near any water but it's not uncommon to see a big one, looking for love, come lumbering through the yard in April. We're always trying to teach the kids to stay away from them but they're drawn to them out of curiosity and don't realize the full danger. The dogs get the worst of it when they chase after them barking and, inevitably, getting too close - never realizing that the gator is much faster than they are. Between the fire ants, heat and the gators, Florida is a tough place to be a dog.
The speed thing is a myth. Gators are faster in water than on land. If a dog is dumb enough to get really close to a gator on land, it is the gators tail that will usually get it.