After the Storm: Iguana Control for South Florida Homes and Waterfront Properties

Hurricane Isaias came ashore near Destin on October 9 as the first hurricane of the 2026 Atlantic season, ending a stretch of roughly 342 days without one anywhere in the basin. South Florida watched it go to the Panhandle. Our season still runs to November 30, and a property in Fort Lauderdale or Key Largo does not need a direct hit to feel what heavy rain bands, high tides, and saturated ground do to iguana activity.

Green iguanas handle storms far better than most owners expect. They swim well, they can stay submerged for long periods, and they climb anything with grip. What a storm changes is where they settle and what they damage along the way. In the days after a serious rain or wind event, the same animals that basked on a seawall in September start turning up on pool decks, inside screened lanais, under stacks of fallen fronds, and in the soft, freshly scoured soil along canal banks.

The clearest recent evidence of weather reshuffling iguanas came last winter. During the early February cold snap, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) issued Executive Order 26-03, allowing property owners to collect cold-stunned iguanas and deliver them to designated offices without a permit. Over two days, FWC took in 5,195 green iguanas, 3,882 of them at the Sunrise office in Broward County alone. Those animals had been living on South Florida properties all along. The cold simply put them on the lawn where people could see them. A storm moves them in the same way, except they arrive alert, mobile, and looking for new ground.

Why iguanas turn up in new places after a storm

Flooding drives iguanas out of their burrows and off low ground, and wind damage hands them fresh cover. Both happen at once during a tropical system.

Burrows along canals, berms, and seawall bases fill with water quickly. The animals climb to the nearest high, dry structure: docks, boat lifts, shed roofs, AC platforms, pool cage frames, and the tops of garden walls. Many simply stay there once the water recedes, because the new spot comes with food and shade.

Storm debris adds to the pull. A curbside pile of palm fronds, sea grape limbs, and hibiscus cuttings is cover, a basking platform, and a meal in one place. Torn screen panels on pool enclosures become open doorways. Across Miami-Dade and Broward, the canal network carries displaced animals from one backyard to the next, which explains why a homeowner who had no iguanas before the storm can have three on the dock the following week.

The seawall risk most owners miss after heavy water

The most expensive post-storm iguana problem is the one hidden behind the seawall cap.

UF/IFAS Extension notes that iguana burrows at the base of seawalls allow erosion and can contribute to eventual collapse. During normal weather that erosion is slow. During surge, king tides, or days of runoff, a burrow becomes a drainage channel. Water moves through the tunnel behind the wall and carries fill out with it. Burrow systems can run several feet deep, so the damage is rarely visible from the surface until the ground gives.

Look for these signs once the water drops:

• Depressions or soft spots in the lawn directly behind the seawall cap
• New cracks in the cap or along the joint between cap and panels
• Fans of sand or soil at the toe of the wall on the water side
• Open holes, roughly fist-sized or larger, within a few feet of the wall

Photograph everything before cleanup begins. Those images help a marine contractor assess the wall, and they give you a dated record if you file a claim. Keep vehicles and heavy equipment off soft ground near the wall until it has been checked.

The SHORE check: a five-point walk for the first week

We use a simple sequence on post-storm inspections, and owners can run the same walk themselves once it is safe to be outside. We call it the SHORE check.

• S: Seawalls and canal banks. Look for the erosion signs above, plus fresh burrow entrances along the bank or berm.
• H: Holes and fresh soil. New burrows show loose, recently moved dirt at the entrance. Reopened old burrows look the same. Note their locations without blocking them yet.
• O: Overhangs and debris. Trees with storm-split limbs over the house or pool, and any debris pile left in place, are prime basking and hiding spots.
• R: Rooflines and raised structures. Check docks, boat lifts, sheds, gutters, and AC pads for droppings, which are the clearest sign an iguana has moved in.
• E: Enclosures. Walk every pool cage, lanai, and screen room for torn panels or gaps at the base. Iguanas frequently defecate in pool water, so droppings in the pool after a storm usually mean one is getting inside.

A completed SHORE check tells you whether you are dealing with a passing visitor or a resident population, and that answer shapes everything that follows.

Get the printable SHORE check. A two-page field sheet with every checkpoint, a burrow and damage log, and a guide to reading your results. Built for homeowners, HOA managers, and marina staff walking a property after a storm. Download the SHORE check

What Florida law allows, and where it gets complicated

Green iguanas are listed as a Prohibited nonnative species in Florida. According to the FWC green iguana profile, they are not protected except by anti-cruelty law and can be humanely killed on private property year-round with landowner permission. FWC actively encourages removal by landowners.

The complications sit around the edges. Outside of special orders such as EO 26-03, possessing or transporting a live green iguana requires a permit, so catching one and driving it to a field across town is illegal. Local ordinances also govern the discharge of firearms and air guns in residential neighborhoods, and most South Florida municipalities restrict both. Any method has to meet the humane standard in state law.

This is where most homeowners hand the work over. A licensed wildlife operator carries the permits, uses humane methods, and takes the legal exposure off the property owner.

What not to do in the days after a storm

A few common mistakes turn a manageable situation into a harder one.

Do not grab or corner an iguana. Adults defend themselves with a hard tail whip, sharp claws, and a bite that can require stitches, and like most reptiles they can carry Salmonella. Wash your hands after handling anything they have soiled, including pool equipment and dock lines.

Be careful around standing water. After Hurricane Milton in 2024, FWC warned South Florida residents to watch for snakes and crocodiles displaced by flooding. An iguana sighting near a flooded canal is a reminder that other animals moved too.

Do not fill burrows while they may be occupied or while the soil is still saturated. UF/IFAS recommends filling vacant burrows with a mix of sand and concrete during the day, once you are confident the animal is out. Doing it too early can trap an iguana inside, which runs against the humane standard and usually ends with a new burrow a few feet away.

Do not stack storm debris against the seawall or under trees near the house. You are building the iguanas a shelter.

Why fall storms set up spring problems

Timing matters more than most owners realize. The iguana breeding cycle in South Florida begins in the cooler months, and females dig their nest burrows in loose, sun-warmed soil early in the year. Storm cleanup often leaves exactly that behind: sand piles, replaced fill along seawalls, and disturbed garden beds.

A pile of loose sand left beside a dock in October can be a nest by February, and a single female can lay dozens of eggs. Removing resident adults in the fall, and finishing cleanup so it leaves compacted rather than loose soil, is the most effective way to keep next summer's hatchling numbers down.

For HOAs, condo associations, golf clubs, and marinas

Shared waterfront is where post-storm iguana problems compound. A condo association in Hollywood with a common seawall, a golf community in Palm Beach County with lake banks along the fairways, or a marina in the Keys with long runs of bulkhead all face the same issue: one owner's removal effort is undone by the unmanaged property next door.

For associations, the post-storm priority is a common-area inspection with a written report. Boards need to know where burrows sit relative to structural assets, how many animals are present, and what a monitoring program would cost. That document also supports insurance conversations and reserve planning. A coordinated program across the whole property consistently outperforms individual owners calling in separate contractors.

How Wildlife Commander handles post-storm iguana work

Every engagement starts with an on-site inspection: a full SHORE walk, burrow mapping along seawalls and banks, and a count of resident animals. You receive a written proposal before any work begins.

Removal is humane and fully compliant with FWC rules. Once the resident population is addressed, we move to monthly monitoring and an ongoing maintenance program, because waterfront properties in South Florida are recolonized from the canal system. We also advise on exclusion, including seawall base barriers, enclosure repairs, and landscaping changes that make a property less attractive to the next arrival.

We serve residential and commercial properties across Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and Monroe counties, including the Florida Keys.

Frequently asked questions

Do iguanas drown during hurricanes? Rarely. Green iguanas are strong swimmers and can stay submerged for extended periods. Flooding relocates them far more often than it kills them.

Will the iguanas leave once the water goes down? Some return to their original burrows. Many settle wherever they found food and cover during the storm, especially if that spot has a dock, a pool enclosure, or dense landscaping.

Is it legal to remove iguanas from my property after a storm? Yes. FWC allows green iguanas to be humanely killed on private property year-round with landowner permission. Possessing or transporting a live iguana requires a permit outside of special executive orders.

Can iguana burrows cause a seawall to fail after a storm? They can speed up erosion behind the wall, particularly after surge or heavy runoff. If you see depressions or new cracks behind the cap, have a marine contractor assess the structure. We handle the animals, the burrow mapping, and the prevention program.

How soon after a storm should I book an inspection? As soon as roads are clear and the property is safe to walk, ideally within the first two weeks. That window catches animals before they establish new burrows and before cleanup soil becomes nesting soil.

Do you handle other wildlife displaced by storms? Yes. Our team removes snakes, raccoons, opossums, and other invasive reptiles alongside iguanas. We focus exclusively on wildlife and do not provide general pest control.

Schedule a post-storm iguana inspection

If the last storm left iguanas on your dock, in your pool, or burrowing along your seawall, an inspection is the place to start. Wildlife Commander provides humane, permitted iguana removal and long-term monitoring for homes, associations, and waterfront businesses across South Florida.

Get a Free Estimate or call (305) 200-9821.