From Sarasota Herald-Tribune:
Rounding up invasive reptiles
By CATHY ZOLLOThe signs of an iguana takeover are scattered across Manasota Key.
They strip the fruit from the sea grape trees and chew the leaves. Gone are the little brown anole lizards — themselves an introduced species — that used to scurry over the ground, and iguana tracks lead down gopher tortoise burrows.
Black spiny-tailed iguanas, known for their speed and voracious appetite, are threatening native animals, reptiles and birds — a sign of Sarasota County’s growing problem with invasive reptiles that escaped from the pet trade, gained a foothold in South Florida and are now heading north in greater numbers.
Burmese pythons and monitor lizards have also been sighted in Sarasota County.