Alligator attacks have been getting a lot of attention in the media lately, but officials at the Florida Wildlife Commission say your odds of being injured are only about 3 million to one.
Tammy Sapp, at the FWC, says there are a few simple rules for living near gators ... starting with the issue of feeding them.
"Never feed an alligator," she said. "It's illegal, and they learn to associate people with food."
She also says people need to remember to keep their distance from any alligator they see.
Sapp says alligators may look bulky and lethargic, but they aren't.
When motivated by the prospect of a threat or by food, biologists say alligators can move with startling speed.
If you spot an alligator that could be a threat, the hotline number is 866-FWC-GATOR.
Sapp says trappers and other licensed professionals "removed" 8-thousand-455 nuisance gators last year.
Nuisance alligators are not relocated, however.
Since a nuisance alligator is one that has learned to associate humans with food, they have to be put down.
The alligators, once dealt with, are butchered for the meat and the skin.