Iguanas Are Falling Out of Florida's Trees. That's Not the Real Problem

In February 2026, a historic cold front hit South Florida — and green iguanas started falling out of the trees. For two days only, Florida let residents collect the cold-stunned lizards. 5,195 iguanas were turned in. It didn't stop them. Green iguanas were never supposed to be in Florida. They came through the pet trade — and in 1964, a Miami pet dealer released more than 300 of them. Today they're established in seven South Florida counties. The real problem isn't the falling lizards. It's what they do underground. Iguana burrows were blamed as one factor behind roughly $1.8 million in emergency repairs to a West Palm Beach dam. One iguana knocked out power to 1,431 customers in Lake Worth Beach. They've delayed flights at Miami International Airport. And Miami Beach now spends hundreds of thousands of dollars a year removing them. This is the story of Florida's green iguana — and why even the cold can't end the invasion. They Were Never Supposed to Be Here. Subscribe to Invasive America for new wildlife investigations. Tell us in the comments: have you ever seen an iguana fall out of a tree? 📚 SOURCES & FURTHER READING Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission — Green Iguana UF/IFAS EDIS — The Green Iguana in Florida Cold-stunned iguanas: more than 5,000 turned in over 2 days (Feb. 2026) Florida Keys Free Press — More than 5,000 iguanas removed CBS Miami — Iguanas cost West Palm Beach $1.8 million in emergency repairs (2020) Iguana causes large-scale power outage in Lake Worth Beach (2022) Did an iguana just turn out the lights? Florida critters and power outages Miami New Times — Miami Beach iguana removal program #Iguanas #Florida #InvasiveSpecies #GreenIguana #FloridaIguanas #FallingIguanas #FrozenIguanas #ColdStunnedIguanas #IguanaInvasion #SouthFlorida #MiamiBeach #FloridaWildlife #Reptiles #WildlifeDocumentary #InvasiveAmerica