I admit it, I'm dumb about alligators.

[csziggy]

225. Yes - there have been brain eating amoeba in Florida waters

Florida issues warning about rare, brain-eating amoeba
By Jen Christensen and Jacque Wilson, CNN
Updated 6:59 PM ET, Thu August 15, 2013

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While 12-year-old Zachary Reyna fights for his life against a brain-eating parasite, the Florida Department of Health has issued a warning for swimmers.

High water temperatures and low water levels provide the perfect breeding ground for this rare amoeba, called Naegleria fowleri, officials said. They warned the public "to be wary when swimming, jumping or diving in freshwater" with these conditions.

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Naegleria fowleri is found in hot springs and warm freshwater, most often in the Southeastern United States. The amoeba enters the body through the nose and travels to the brain. There is no danger of infection from drinking contaminated water, the CDC said.
"This infection is one of the most severe infections that we know of," Dr. Dirk Haselow of the Arkansas Department of Health told CNN affiliate WMC-TV about Kali's case. "Ninety-nine percent of people who get it die."

http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/15/health/amoeba-case-florida-warning/

And there are types that live in salt water, too:

Unseen killer lurking in Florida waters takes Lake County man's life
Christal Hayes, Orlando Sentinel
June 29, 2015

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Cason Yeager died after contracting Vibrio vulnificus, a bacteria lurking in warmer waters that creeps into a person's system through open wounds — an unsuspecting menace that has long threatened Florida swimmers. His death is the fourth this year statewide attributed to the bacterial menace — and it isn't the only one swimmers should be know about.

The saltwater threat has caused the deaths of more than 50 swimmers since 2010, including one last year in each of Orange and Brevard counties. But even people enjoying a day on a freshwater lake or river could be in harm's way.

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Florida Department of Health spokeswoman Mara Burger said the department has had one confirmed case of Vibrio vulnificus this year. Yeager's death certificate states Vibrio as the cause of death.

She said the bacteria lives in salt water and enters the body through an open wound.

More: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/lake/os-cason-yeager-water-bacteria-death-20150627-story.html