You learn about 'gators and to respect them. We used to swim in a beautiful lake that was spring fed and crystal clear, and had 'gators. As long as they have a good food source and aren't nesting, you can just run them off with lots of noise and they will usually stay away while you are there. Yes, there's a chance of problems, but then, a coconut could fall on your head and kill you, too.
And you wouldn't want to jog along an area that has 'gators after dark. Likely, she didn't see the 'gator untill she scared the shit out of it running up on it, and it reacted as 'gators do. Chomp.
And Florida doesn't have snow. But they do have warm winters. And green all year. And white sand beaches and palm trees. And noisey parrots. And salt water. Lovely soothing salt water. And Boat Drinks. Dont' forget the Boat Drinks.