FWC Maj. Evan Laskowski said Cynthia Diekema was killed after the canoe she was riding in with her husband passed over an alligator hidden beneath them in roughly 2.5 feet of water.

The couple headed out on a 14-foot canoe into Lake Kissimmee, which has the second highest population of alligators in the state with more than 16,000, according to a 2024 census from FWC. It's ...

The FWC says the couple's canoe struck the alligator in 2.5 feet of water, causing the animal to thrash and tip the boat. "She ended up on top of the alligator." ...

FWC’s own agency has stated new data will not be available until 2030. Making irreversible decisions based on incomplete science, during a time of heightened public emotion, is reckless and wrong.