Steven Hamilton, 71, died after a 12-foot alligator attacked him on the banks of Lake Apopka in central Florida last Friday evening.
The Winter Garden native was a daily presence at Dr. Bradford Memorial Park, where he had spent the day fishing the alligator-infested waters. Orange-Osceola Medical Examiners determined Hamilton drowned after suffering “blunt force” injuries to his left leg, with suspected teeth marks found on the limb. Coroners ruled his death accidental.
Beatrice Soto, who witnessed the attack, described the moments leading to the tragedy in an interview with WFTV. “He held it up for whoever it was to take a picture of him, and the gator came up and grabbed him by the leg and pulled him in,” she said. The predator then brought Hamilton back to the surface before submerging him again in the lake, which holds more than 4,600 alligators.
The sheer number of gators complicated recovery efforts. Hamilton’s body was not pulled from the water until 7 p.m. Friday, roughly two hours after the attack began. The Florida Wildlife Commission trapped and killed the alligator responsible, which measured just under 12 feet.
Hamilton was also known as a popular musician in the area, a creative pursuit that ran alongside his daily fishing routine at the lake.
His death marks the second fatal alligator attack in Florida this year. In June, Brittany Clark, 31, died while swimming with her boyfriend in the Econlockhatchee River at Little Big Econ State Forest, also in central Florida. That attack resulted in “near complete traumatic amputations” of her left arm, with teeth marks on her left shoulder blade and collarbone. Coroners ruled Clark’s death an accident as well, caused by multiple blunt force injuries.
Between 1948 and 2025, Florida has recorded 32 fatal alligator attacks, according to FWC data. Alligators are found in all 67 counties in the state, which is home to an estimated 1.3 million of the reptiles.