Go Gators: Deputies remove alligator from school playground

OKEECHOBEE, Fla. — A Florida school named after Everglades National Park experienced a taste of what the wetlands has to offer when a small alligator appeared on the school’s playground.

The Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office said its deputies found the alligator Wednesday at Everglades Elementary School, according to a department Facebook post.

The school’s mascot is an alligator clad in orange, which is a bit different from the 4-foot-6-inch (1.4-meter) alligator the deputies captured.

Deputies later released the gator in the Nubbin Slough River, but not before affectionately naming it “Everglades.”

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This story has been edited to correct the name of Everglades National Park.

The Associated Press