PINECREST, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 Florida’s roads are known for surprises, but a 14-foot Burmese python might just top the list.<\/p>\n
A routine patrol turned into a wild encounter when Sergeant Carlos Atola of the Pinecrest Police Department (PPD), along with a Sheriff\u2019s Deputy, successfully captured a massive 14-foot Burmese python along U.S. Highway 98.<\/p>\n
Police said the snake \u2014 an invasive species<\/a> known for its threat to Florida’s native wildlife \u2014 was spotted dangerously close to the roadway on Thursday. Local agencies worked together to safely remove the python \u2014 preventing a serious hazard to both motorists and the local ecosystem.<\/p>\n “Not your everyday traffic stop,\u201d the department posted on social media, alongside a photo of the enormous reptile. “It\u2019s one less slithering danger on our roads and in our community.”<\/p>\n See also: Man crashes into Riviera Beach house, allegedly threatens community; 14 guns seized<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Burmese pythons have become a growing concern in Florida, particularly in the Everglades, where they disrupt the natural balance by preying on native species. Their removal is part of ongoing efforts to protect Florida\u2019s biodiversity and public safety.<\/p>\n The incident highlights the diverse challenges faced by law enforcement\u2014and the importance of staying alert, even when the threat comes with scales.<\/p>\n Find more ways to stay up to date with your latest local news. Sign up for our newsletter <\/a>to get the day’s top headlines delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our YouTube channel <\/a>for the biggest stories and can’t miss video.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PINECREST, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 Florida’s roads are known for surprises, but a 14-foot Burmese python might just top…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":76786,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[273],"tags":[25495,24163,18,2129,51932,19,3014,17,5915,35036,133,461],"class_list":{"0":"post-76785","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-burmese-python","9":"tag-ecosystem","10":"tag-eire","11":"tag-florida","12":"tag-highway","13":"tag-ie","14":"tag-invasive-species","15":"tag-ireland","16":"tag-police","17":"tag-public-safety","18":"tag-science","19":"tag-wildlife"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76785","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76785"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76785\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}