A 71-year-old Winter Garden man died Friday after an alligator attacked him while he was fishing at a park with open water access to Lake Apopka. Emergency crews recovered his body the same evening, and officials later trapped and killed a nearly 12-foot alligator believed to be involved.

FOX 35 reported that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission identified the man as Steven Hamilton of Winter Garden. Winter Garden Police Chief Michael Mason said Hamilton was killed after an alligator attacked him while he was fishing at a park on Friday evening.

The scene was Dr. Bradford Memorial Park, which has direct water access to Lake Apopka. FWC material cited in local reporting describes Lake Apopka as known for one of the largest American alligator populations in Central Florida. That setting framed both the attack risk and the difficult recovery that followed.

Rescue crews faced active alligators in the water

Winter Garden Fire Chief Jose Gainza said emergency crews responded to the park around 5:20 p.m. Friday after a 911 call about a possible alligator attack. Crews tried to rescue the man from the water, Gainza said, but the effort was hard because active alligators were nearby.

Around 7 p.m., Gainza said, the man’s body had been recovered from the water. The roughly hour-and-a-half gap between the first response and recovery underscored how quickly a shoreline fishing outing turned into a multi-agency emergency.

The New York Post reported that Hamilton was attacked while fishing on the shoreline of Lake Apopka at the same park, and that recovery work proceeded amid other active alligators. Police and wildlife officials treated the incident as a suspected fatal alligator attack under joint investigation.

Alligator trapped, measured, and killed

Mason said a nearly 12-foot alligator believed to be the one that attacked Hamilton had been trapped, captured, and killed. FWC later clarified the animal’s length as 11.8 feet.

Authorities have not publicly detailed the exact method used to tie that specific alligator to the attack. Winter Garden police and FWC are investigating. No public medical examiner findings on cause of death were released in the initial official accounts.

FWC issued a brief statement of condolence as the investigation continued.

"The FWC extends its deepest sympathies to the family and loved ones of the victim during this difficult time."

Mason also stressed basic wildlife caution for people who live and recreate near Florida waters.

"Always be aware of your surroundings. Always be safe. Local wildlife respected, keep your distance. It looks like it’s docile, it looks like your Florida emblem, but it can be dangerous."

What Florida’s bite records show

FWC has tracked unprovoked alligator bites against humans since 1948. Agency figures cited in coverage put the long-term tally at 500 bites, including 32 deadly ones. American alligators are found in all 67 Florida counties, which is why shoreline fishing, swimming, and park access carry standing safety guidance from wildlife officials.

Recent annual figures released through the same reporting stream show continued bite activity. For 2025, FWC figures listed 13 total bites, including 2 deaths. For 2024, the agency listed 11 total bites with no deaths. Earlier years also recorded major and minor injuries alongside occasional fatalities.

Local coverage placed Hamilton’s death among fatal attacks this year and pointed to a separate June case in which 31-year-old Brittany Clark died after an alligator attacked her while she was swimming in about 3 feet of water at Little Big Econ State Forest. That earlier death was a distinct incident at a different location.

Investigation posture and open questions

Winter Garden police and FWC remain the lead public agencies on the Hamilton case. Officials have confirmed the response timeline, the body recovery, the trapping and killing of the 11.8-foot alligator, and Hamilton’s identity. They have described his activity as fishing at the park when the attack occurred.

Investigators have not said in public releases who placed the 911 call, what precise sequence led from the shoreline to the water, or what forensic steps linked the captured alligator to the attack. No public results have been released about a final medical cause-of-death determination beyond the official description of a fatal alligator attack.

Those gaps matter for a clean public record. Families, park users, and local officials all need clear findings on how the attack unfolded and whether any site-specific warnings or access conditions require change. The institutional test is straightforward: document the facts, finish the wildlife investigation, and give the public usable safety information without delay.

Public safety stakes at a busy Central Florida lake

Dr. Bradford Memorial Park’s direct access to Lake Apopka puts anglers and other visitors close to habitat that supports a dense alligator population. Officials have already framed the practical rule in plain terms: keep distance, watch the waterline, and do not treat a still animal as harmless.

Hamilton’s death, the hard recovery amid other alligators, and the decision to remove the large animal all point to the same pressure point. Florida communities live with protected wildlife and heavy outdoor use at the same time. When a routine fishing stop ends in a fatality, the public is entitled to fast, specific answers from police and FWC about what happened and what park users should change.

Law-and-order government starts with competent field response and honest follow-through. A shoreline should not become a crime-scene substitute because basic wildlife boundaries were left to chance.