Florida ADC: Iguanas

Coming face-to-face with a 6-foot green iguana can be a bit unnerving. The scaly lizard’s face and spiked back make it look prehistoric. Most intimidating is the boldness of the critter and its willingness to stand its ground when confronted.

- Charles Smith

Such encounters were happening every day at Century Village, a retirement community near Florida’s Atlantic coast. The management hired me to remove the iguanas from around building, the many small lakes and golf course that had been temporarily closed for five years.

The voracious lizards can decimate flower gardens and leaving messy poop around pools, not the pleasant experience anticipated by the snowbirds who land in South Florida every winter and often stay. The golf course had giant sand mounds where iguanas had spent five years digging underground tunnels.

My Animal Damage Control (ADC) contract was for two months. During this time, I would come twice a week and walk the property. After a few visits, it was obvious where the iguanas congregated.