Florida's iguana invasion is getting worse

MIAMI - Iguanas love taking in the Florida sun, but they're not native to the state and they've become so pervasive that when the temperatures drop, the National Weather Service in Miami issues falling iguana advisories.

The iguana population is growing year by year along with a whole set of problems associated with the reptiles. 

They're considered an invasive species and they've become more than just a nuisance. 

The giant lizards are causing costly structural damage and even power outages.

"They're just popping up every single place where they don't belong," said Harold Rondan, a trapper and owner of Iguana Lifestyle.

Iguanas are eating gardens, getting into pools, and even finding their way inside toilets.

"The big deal is that a lot of the people down here, a lot of the residents, they don't understand these animals aren't from here," said Dion Sandiford, owner of Iguana Freaks.

The iguanas have a reputation for passing salmonella to pets and burrowing near lakes and canals - causing erosion. 

West Palm Beach shelled out 1.8 million dollars in 2020 to fix a compromised dam.

In Lake Worth Beach the iguana population has gotten so out of control that the lizards are getting into electrical substations, triggering multiple power outages last year. 

"The tail or the tip of the tongue will complete the circuit," said Ed Liberty, the city's Electric Utility Director.

The city started using vegetation control to keep the iguanas out. 

Last year iguanas caused 16 outages, down from 20 in 2021 and 28 in 2020, according to the City of Lake Worth Beach.

"They like to lay on the rock - and they'll migrate over to the transformer," Liberty said.

Scientists believe climate change is helping the iguanas grow their ranks and creep north.

"We are not going to defeat and eliminate the population - we have to learn to live with this population of iguanas," Liberty said.

In 2021 the state banned pet owners from any future possession of iguanas, but the giant lizards have almost no natural predators, one female can lay up to about 70 eggs a year.