Overview
- An unusual polar cold snap across central and southern Florida left green iguanas cold-stunned and falling from trees.
- FWC’s Executive Order 26-03 briefly allowed residents to capture and transport live stunned iguanas without permits during a two-day window.
- The agency reports 5,195 iguanas removed, with many humanely euthanized at FWC offices and others transferred to authorized dealers for sale out of state.
- Collection lines swelled, and FWC later said it was no longer accepting iguanas outside the special operation.
- Officials warn residents not to bring stunned reptiles indoors because they can recover quickly and injure people, as a viral clip of a creator covering himself with iguanas drew over 10 million views.