Gator cools off under congressman’s car

By Judy Kurtz - 03/26/12 07:19 PM ET

Leaping lizards! Rep. Bill Posey (R-Fla.) had a very close encounter of the reptilian kind over the weekend after an alligator crawled under his car.

The congressman, a former racecar driver, was paying his respects at a funeral for a friend at a Florida church when he got word that the gator was taking a break from the sun and checking out the view from under Posey’s 2010 Ford Mustang.

The scaly creature, 4 feet in length, was apparently a car aficionado, because when the local sheriff’s office arrived, the wannabe speed demon ran out from under Posey’s wheels over to the sheriff deputy’s vehicle.

Posey’s press secretary, George

Cecala, tells us the lawmaker wasn’t too startled because alligator sightings are pretty common in the Sunshine State. But he was concerned that the green visitor would get spooked by all the commotion and run into the street. A trapper was able to catch the gator and bring him back to a highway-free habitat.

Cecala says, “We’re grateful that no one was harmed and thank local authorities and the trapper for responding and safely removing the gator and sending him back to the wild.”