Water moccasins two, rattlesnakes maybe four, coral snakes two and never bitten. Alligators...I don't know. Maybe 20 all caught and released. But bit once when I was probably 13 yo by a baby alligator that grabbed a top water plug and would not let go. Maybe 1 ft. Got me right on the fingertip when I reeled it in and trying to get it to let go of the lure. Hurt like hell.
First trip to the Everglades....I think it was the Anhinga Trail. Visitor center, asphalt trail through the area. Winter...Nobody there but me and a friend. I wondered why they put a traffic come by the side of the trail. I get ip there, look into the grass and water, and hear a couple of squeaks and splashes. Look closer, and it’s newly hatched ‘gators jumping in the water from their grass nest. First thought...where the **** is mom? She was just the other side of the babies, thank God. And not too large. Second thought? How about a sign? DANGER! KEEP BACK!! ALLIGATOR NEST!! Hello?
I get the critters and all, but how does a Florida Man learn to climb mountains? The I-95 overpass over downtown Miami? Scaling the Sunshine Skyway in Tampa?