[saleman]

"These are unfortunate, unrelated coincidences," Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Willie Puz said."

Let's see 17 deaths since '48, three in a week and these are unrelated? Somethings going on. Habitat, proximity to humans, etc. I would guess these gators have no fear of humans and they see them as food. But hey, what do I know.

[dukeman]

Somethings going on

Gators are more aggressive during mating season and it's been very dry in Florida (winter and spring are the dry seasons here), so they're more likely to move about in search of water. They sometimes end up here and there in a swimming pool, but that is not a common occurrence. As for their ability to access property, I once saw a photo of a garor scaling a chain link fence in an effort, I believe, to reach somebody's yappy little dog on the other side.