West Palm Beach, FL – The Serge family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Wynne Building Corporation, the property management firm of the Spanish Lakes senior complex in Fort Pierce, where Gloria Serge, an 85-year-old resident, was fatally attacked by an alligator last year.
“Gloria Serge was walking her dog, Trooper, along the lake behind her Spanish Lakes Fairways home in Fort Pierce on Feb. 20, 2023, when an alligator measuring more than 10 feet long grabbed onto her left foot and dragged her into the water, drowning her,” her lawyers said in a statement. “Her screams drew the attention of a neighbor who called 911 and pleaded with her to swim to shore. Gloria yelled out that the alligator had her by the leg before she disappeared beneath the surface.”
The tragic incident occurred on Feb. 20, 2023, while Gloria Serge was walking her dog, Trooper, near a pond on the complex’s grounds. Surveillance footage revealed a 10-foot alligator swimming across the pond and attacking Serge, dragging her into the water. Despite neighbors’ attempts to help and calls to 911, Serge was drowned by the alligator before rescue efforts could reach her. The alligator was later captured and euthanized by officials.
“When she received a letter from the property manager telling her that she was limited to walking Trooper on her property or the development-owned dog run that was nearly a mile from her home, Gloria started walking him in her backyard, which bordered a community lake,” lawyers said, noting the property manager’s directive. “The presence of large alligators in the lakes on the property was well known to the property manager, and this gator was no exception. In fact, evidence obtained by our firm will show that maintenance workers in the community routinely fed this alligator chicken scraps and even named the dangerous reptile “Henry.”
The lawsuit, filed by the Serge family on Thursday, alleges negligence on the part of Wynne Building Corporation. The family claims that the corporation failed to ensure safe conditions for residents by not removing the alligator, which they argue was a known nuisance due to its size. They also assert that the property management’s directives regarding where residents could walk their dogs led Serge to walk near the pond, increasing her risk of encountering the alligator.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission categorizes alligators exceeding 4-feet in length as nuisances. The lawsuit contends that Wynne Building Corporation was aware or should have been aware of the danger posed by the presence of such large alligators near residential areas. The Serge family is seeking justice for the loss of Gloria Serge, highlighting concerns about resident safety in communities near wildlife habitats.
At more than 10 feet long, lawyers argue, “Henry” more than satisfied this requirement and could have been safely and effectively removed from Spanish Lakes Fairway with little more than a telephone call from the managers tasked with keeping the community safe.
“Property owners in Florida, and particularly those managing residential communities catering to elderly residents, have a legal and non-delegable duty to identify dangerous conditions on the property, warn those in the vicinity of the danger and take immediate steps to remove the threat,” Firm Partner Joshua D. Ferraro said. “Unfortunately, the managers at Spanish Lakes Fairways failed to live up to their obligations, and as a direct result, Gloria died a horrible and terrifying death.”