Entries for the 2027 alligator harvest lottery are open. In the spring, POACH will draw 400 permits for the season that runs from August 15 to November 1, 2027, in four zones of the Grassrivers. Entering is free, takes two minutes online and counts once: one entry per person and per season.
The 2026 season closed on November 1 with 688 alligators taken under permit, every one of them checked at a POACH office. The alligators of the Grassrivers are doing well; the lottery is there to keep it that way.
Four zones, 400 permits
- North Sawgrass: open sawgrass north of the Sawgrass Highway, by airboat, 140 permits
- Central Sloughs: deep sloughs and tree islands around the field station, 110 permits
- Western Marsh: shallow marsh outside Sawgrass Gate State Park, by canoe or airboat, 90 permits
- Mangrove Coast: brackish creeks of the southern mangroves, by boat only, 60 permits
Entries close on March 31, 2027, and the draw takes place in April. Drawn hunters settle the $250 permit at a POACH office and collect their two harvest tags before August 15. The permit holder must be 18 or over and hold a Leonida hunting license by the opening day; up to three helpers can join the party.
Python roundup on Saturday, December 5
The Grassrivers Field Station runs a python roundup every weekend, but December 5 is the big one: every handler on staff, two extra search areas along the levees and the season’s prize for the longest python brought to the table. Teams of up to six register online and get their event pass in My Leonida at once. Check-in opens at 6:45 a.m. at the field station on the Sawgrass Highway, and the safety briefing starts at 7.
Every python we take out of the Grassrivers means birds, rabbits and young alligators that get to grow up. Bring long sleeves, water and sharp eyes. The handlers do the grabbing.
Seen a python outside a roundup? Note the place and call the Exotic Species line, 1-888-555-0132, every day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Never take one home, and never let one go.
