Road ‘obstruction’ reported at Florida intersection was a large snake, deputies say
A chunk of debris blocking traffic on a Florida Panhandle road turned out to be a ball python, according to the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.
It happened early Monday, Sept. 12, at an intersection in Sandestin, 60 miles east of Pensacola, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
“This ... python was called in as a highway obstruction early this morning,” the sheriff’s office said. “Yes. A highway obstruction. ... How about a breathing obstruction?”
A caller reported it was “entering the highway,” but the snake had already made it to the side of the road when deputies arrived.
Where it came from remains a mystery, but state officials suspect it was an escaped pet. Ball pythons are an invasive species and have created a stronghold 700 miles south in Florida’s Everglades, but they are rare on the Panhandle.
A photo shared by the sheriff’s office shows the snake was also albino, which explains how it was easily spotted by motorists in the dark. It was at first mistaken to be a Burmese python.
Deputies grabbed the snake and consulted the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on what to do with it. The department opted to turn it over to a snake rehab facility in Destin, about 11 miles west.
“Good riddance. No offense. Can snakes even take offense?” the sheriff’s office wrote.
South Florida’s invasive python population has been linked to pets that were freed or escaped during coastal storms.
News of a python roaming Walton County quickly sparked social media concerns that the invasion might be spreading to northwest Florida. Others argued winters are too cold on the Panhandle to host the pythons.
“Everglades started with pets and Hurricane Andrew,” Melonie Layman wrote on Facebook. “They could definitely grow into a problem. I have the heebie jeebies just thinking about it.”
“Just like SoFla now. Burmese pythons everywhere,” Todd Brackin said.
“I would have died if I saw this on the road,” Julie Lewis posted.
If members of the public see a nonnative snake, it can be reported to the FWC’s Exotic Species Hotline, 888-IveGot1 (888-483-4861), online at IVEGOT1.org or by using the free IveGot1 smart phone app. A photo and exact location is useful so that our biologists can properly ID the species and respond as needed.
If residents have a nonnative pet they can no longer keep, the Exotic Pet Amnesty Program helps connect them with qualified adopters. More information can be found here: https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/nonnatives/amnesty-program/.
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