Burmese Pythons Establish a New Breeding Foothold in Southwest Florida

Florida has another python problem, and this one is not just more snakes spreading out of the Everglades. Wildlife officials say Burmese pythons are now established in part of western Charlotte County, north of the species’ long-known core range.

FWC has seen increased reports around Rotonda West, Placida, Englewood East, and South Gulf Cove since about 2020. The Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System shows 78 pythons captured, found dead, or observed in Charlotte County, and 61% of those reports have come since 2024. That is not a random one-off sighting. That is a foothold.

Officials do not believe this population got there by natural migration from the Everglades. The likely start was captive snakes that escaped or were dumped and then began reproducing. That matters because it proves new invasive populations can show up away from the main invasion front when people treat exotic pets like disposable problems.

Burmese pythons are not harmless swamp curiosities. They are generalist apex predators that can eat birds, rabbits, raccoons, opossums, bobcats, deer, alligators, and about anything else they can overpower. In the Everglades, research has tied pythons to brutal declines in native mammals. Charlotte County’s canals and connections to the Peace, Myakka, and Caloosahatchee river systems give these snakes plenty of ways to move if they are not checked.

FWC has already added part-time python technicians to survey and remove snakes in high-report areas. That is the right direction, but this is also a warning shot. Invasive species management is not optional, and responsible ownership matters. Once a breeding population gets comfortable, removing it gets harder, more expensive, and rougher on native wildlife every year.