Florida deputies greeted by 'feisty' baby alligator at Publix

SARASOTA, Fla. – What's more Florida than an alligator sighting at Publix? No, really, we're asking because this next story is hard to top.

Deputies answering a call at the Fruitville Road location in Sarasota at some point Sunday were greeted by a baby alligator cooling off underneath a boat trailer, according to Sarasota County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Kaitlyn Perez.

The Sheriff's Office posted video of the encounter on Facebook, showing the gator put up quite the struggle as it tried to avoid capture. But despite thrashing around on the pavement, the little reptile was no match for animal services workers.

Perez said the alligator was safely relocated.

"Check out this feisty little fellow we found in a Publix parking lot on Fruitville Road in Sarasota. Just a friendly reminder this time of year: Be sure to look BELOW the trailer before backing up," the agency's Facebook post said.

Check out this feisty little fellow we found in a Publix parking lot on Fruitville Road in Sarasota. Just a friendly reminder this time of year: Be sure to look BELOW the trailer before backing up... #FloridaLife #NothingSurprisesUsAnymore #CantMakeThisStuffUp

Posted by Sarasota County (FL) Sheriff's Office on Monday, June 25, 2018

It's unclear what brought the reptile to Publix. Our best guess is that, like the rest of us, it could not resist a great BOGO deal. But the Sheriff's Office has another theory:

Sunday's episode was far from the agency's first scrape with an alligator, Perez said. In fact, some of its tweets went viral in April after deputies helped a trapper removed a gator measuring 11 feet long from a homeowner's backyard pool.