Escaped gators have Citrus County neighborhood on edge

HERNANDO, Fla. - The residents of Fairview Estates in Citrus Hills are on edge.

"I'm not frightened, but I'm concerned," said John Hoagland, a homeowner in this Hernando neighborhood.

Pat Lisotta, who lives nearby, echoed the tension.

"This is very upsetting, it is," she said.

"Everybody's just being cautious," said John Littnan.

It's all because of what got out of an enclosure in a wooded area nearby. There are eight alligators still on the loose.

"They came from right here, where you can see the pit that's been made. And they dug a hole, came out about here," Littnan said as he pointed over the fence near his property.

The small alligator farm was operated by Albert Spiegel on his property. Spiegel had 17 alligators escape under a fence into the neighborhood. Eight were caught by a licensed trapper, one was hit by a car and eight remain missing.

"As you can see, the lanai screen would not keep any gator out. If they need water, that's where they're going to be going to get it," said Littnan.

Lisotta walks over four miles each day, six days a week in this neighborhood; but not now.

"To know that there's still eight out there... I mean, until they're caught, I'm not going to be walking," explained Lisotta.

There is lush grass with vegetation in one neighborhood. But nearby, it's dusty with no water for miles. That's why resident John Hoagland has been scouring the area, looking for the gators.

"Fish and Wildlife, I'm sure they're correct when they say they (the gators) are going to find their natural habitat. But, there's none here; and what do you do in the meantime? I would think there ought to be some kind of an effort for somebody to go out there and find these guys, and not wait for them to come up on driveways," said Hoagland.

Now, these residents are left to wait, watch and worry.