US / Tampa 7-Foot Alligator Kicked Out of School Tampa middle school attracts unexpected visitor By Marie Morris, Newser Staff Posted Jun 7, 2010 5:55 PM CDT Copied An American alligator is shown at Everglades Alligator Farm in the Everglades, Homestead, Fla., Tuesday, April 27, 2010. The farm is home to more than 2,000 alligators of all sizes. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz) A Tampa middle school had an unexpected and unwelcome visitor before classes started today: a 7-foot-long alligator. "Here he comes, walking around the corner," a teacher tells the Tampa Tribune. "Walked right down here and then he stopped." After loitering around the cafeteria door—maybe he was hungry—the gator was confined to a boys bathroom while a trapper was summoned. Said the principal, "We were surprised that it was simple for us to get him locked in, because at that point, we were all deciding which way we were going to run!" (More Tampa stories.) Report an error