Frozen Iguanas Blanket South Florida After Cold Snap

Residents collect hundreds of stunned reptiles and bring them to FWC drop-off sites

Feb. 1, 2026 at 1:47pm

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South Floridians woke up Sunday morning to find 'frozen' green iguanas scattered across their yards, streets, and sidewalks after a cold snap caused the invasive reptiles to go into a state of torpor. Hundreds of residents collected the stunned iguanas and brought them to designated Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) drop-off locations to be humanely killed or transferred to permitted live-animal sales.

Why it matters

Green iguanas are an invasive species in Florida that can cause damage to landscaping and infrastructure. The cold weather event provided a rare opportunity for residents to help control the iguana population in their communities, with the FWC offering a streamlined process to remove the stunned reptiles from private property.

The details

When temperatures dropped to near-freezing or below, the green iguanas went into a state of torpor, temporarily losing muscle control and appearing 'frozen.' Residents across South Florida's tri-county area collected the stunned iguanas from their yards, streets, and sidewalks, and brought them to five designated FWC drop-off locations. The FWC opened these temporary sites on Sunday and Monday to allow people to remove the live, cold-stunned iguanas without a permit, for either humane killing or transfer to permitted live-animal sales.

  • On Sunday morning, the FWC drop-off locations opened at 9 a.m. to accept the collected iguanas.
  • The cold snap that stunned the iguanas occurred on Sunday.

The players

John Bridgman

A South Florida resident who collected two dozen stunned iguanas from his yard and community and brought them to the FWC drop-off site.

Lindsey Bridgman

John Bridgman's wife, who assisted in collecting the stunned iguanas.

Tyler Dawson

A South Florida resident who collected five 'frozen' green iguanas from the Davie area and brought them to the FWC drop-off site.

Brayden Carr

An FWC employee who placed the collected iguanas into cloth sacks at the Sunrise drop-off location.

Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)

The state agency that opened five temporary drop-off locations across South and Southwest Florida to allow residents to remove stunned green iguanas from their property.

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What they’re saying

“We got a few babies … one was pretty big. We went around our yard, and the rest had just fallen in the road or onto sidewalks in our community.”

— John Bridgman

“Our HOA usually hires someone to catch them and get rid of them because of issues with them and the pool. I'm an outdoorsman and figured this is a way to help the state.”

— John Bridgman

What’s next

The FWC will continue to monitor the situation and may extend the temporary drop-off program if the cold weather persists and more stunned iguanas need to be removed from private property.

The takeaway

This cold weather event highlights the ongoing challenge of managing the invasive green iguana population in South Florida, and the importance of community engagement and partnerships with state agencies to address environmental issues impacting local neighborhoods.