Are There Pythons in Palm Beach County? What FWC Says in 2026

I get this question more than you would think.

Usually from a buyer moving down from up north. They have seen the video of a 16-foot snake, they have heard the word "Loxahatchee," and somewhere in the second showing somebody asks it, half joking.

"Brian... are there pythons out here?"

Fair question. Here is the straight answer, with sources, from somebody who grew up in The Acreage.

What FWC actually says

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) lays out the Burmese python's established range in plain words: from just south of Lake Okeechobee down to Key Largo, and from western Broward County west to Collier County (FWC Burmese python profile, read October 3, 2026).

Look at that on a map and you see the Everglades. Marsh, sawgrass, levees and water conservation areas. The northern edge of that range starts just below Lake Okeechobee, which puts the far western reaches of Palm Beach County inside it.

What FWC does not name is any Palm Beach County neighborhood. Wellington, The Acreage and Loxahatchee are not in its description of where pythons are established.

That does not mean one can never show up. Snakes move, and people release pets. It means a python in a western Palm Beach County backyard is news, not normal.

The 2026 numbers

Here is what the state's own python programs reported this year.

Burmese python removal, 2026 (South Florida Water Management District, August 5, 2026)

Nineteen thousand is a big number. It tells you two things. The python problem in South Florida's wild lands is real. And the state has paid people, every year since 2017, to go out and pull them.

One more 2026 headline worth knowing. In July, FWC confirmed a new established python population in western Charlotte County, around Rotonda West, Placida, Englewood East and South Gulf Cove, on the Gulf Coast. FWC said there was no sign those snakes got there by migrating; the likely source was captive animals that escaped or were released (ABC News, July 11, 2026).

That is the honest risk to any part of Florida. Not a slow march north out of the Everglades. A released pet.

Why I am not losing sleep over this in The Acreage

My grandfather, Floyd Oliver Wilder Sr., came to The Glades by boat as a child in the early 1920s and farmed in South Bay most of his life. He rode out the 1928 hurricane in the top of a tree. My father grew up in The Glades. I grew up in The Acreage, right between my dad's work out west and my mom's salon on Dixie Highway.

So I have spent my whole life on the edge of the wild part of this county.

Now let me shoot you straight.

If you are buying in The Acreage, Loxahatchee, Loxahatchee Groves or Wellington, pythons should not be on your top ten list. FWC does not name your neighborhood in the established range, and the state is pulling thousands out of the wild every year. Keep your eyes open, keep small pets supervised, and report anything you see.

Then spend your worry where it pays.

What I'd worry about instead

The things that actually cost western Palm Beach County buyers money do not have scales.

Drainage. Verify it before contract, not during inspection. Look at the lot after a hard rain if you can, and ask the neighbors.

Well and septic. Different, not complicated. But the inspection before you buy is non-negotiable.

The road in. Paved county road beats concrete driveway beats asphalt beats millings beats rock. You will drive it every day.

Your neighbors. No HOA means freedom for you and for the guy next door. Look at their yards before you fall in love with the house.

Insurance. Roof age drives the quote. Get the number on the exact address during your inspection period.

That is what The Wilder Way Home is for. It is our free buyer's guide: what to check on a western Palm Beach County home, what to get in writing, and the order to do it in. Available in English and Spanish.

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If you are still deciding where out west fits you, start with our guide to The Acreage.

If you do see a python

FWC makes this simple.

Report it. Use FWC's free IveGot1 app or report online at IveGot1.org, which also lists FWC's Exotic Species Hotline. A photo and a location help.

Know the rules. FWC says pythons can be humanely killed on private property with the landowner's permission. If that is not you, call it in and let the people who do this every day handle it.

Watch the pets. FWC notes that Burmese pythons can pose a threat to human safety and may prey on pets such as cats and dogs.

Selling your current home too?

A lot of the buyers who ask me about pythons are selling something first. A house up north. A townhome in Broward. A place in Wellington they have outgrown on the way to more land.

The order matters. Sell first and you may be renting while you hunt for the right acreage. Buy first and you carry two payments. The Wilder Way to Sell and Buy is how we line up both closings. Start with a free value on your current home, then grab the seller guide.

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