I use to live in South Florida and let me tell you the Everglades is widely accessible with many dirt roads and marine areas frequented by people. With so much area it is hard for a handful of Fish and Wildlife Officers to monitor the whole area. There is very little that Florida Fish and Wildlife can do to prevent people going out to the everglades and releasing animals. Some of these snakes are turning up on the edge of towns and through out the South Florida Canal system that directly connects to the Everglades. I lived in Homestead which is on the edge of the Everglades and was there during Hurricane Andrew. I do not believe that the Hurricane had any impact on the populations we are seeing now in the Everglades. There is a MUCH bigger animal trade down in Florida then there is in many of the other states I have been too. Mix that with careless sellers and irresponsible pet owners and that pretty much equals the mess the Everglades is currently in. But to answer your question I have never heard of anyone caught releasing animals in the everglades.

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