The city where Florida's iguanas got dropped off
When the January–February 2026 freeze stunned iguanas across the state, the FWC's regional office in Sunrise became the main drop-off point, taking in the large majority of the several thousand animals the state collected in two days. That says something about where the iguanas are: Sunrise and the west-Broward lake cities around it. It also says something about how little a cold snap changes — by spring, the banks were busy again.
Sunrise began in 1961 as Sunrise Golf Village, and the original east-side streets — Sunrise Golf Village East and West — are older single-family homes on canal lots with mature hedges and porch lights. Sunrise Lakes' four phases of 55+ condos sit on lakes and golf frontage along the east side's waterways. Welleby, Winding Lake at Welleby, Countryside at Welleby, and Villa Welleby are 1980s subdivisions around Welleby Park; Springtree Lakes and The Preserve at Avery Lakes are lake communities; the Sawgrass area near Sawgrass Mills is newer townhome and condo stock. The North New River Canal runs the I-595 corridor on the south, and the city's western edge reaches Markham Park, the C-11, and the L-35A levee at Water Conservation Area 2B.
What shows up where
Canal and lake lots (Golf Village, Sunrise Lakes, Springtree, Avery Lakes): green iguanas sun on the bank, burrow into it, foul the patio, and strip hibiscus and bougainvillea. Markham Park, on the Everglades edge with the C-11 along its south boundary, lists invasive iguanas among its wildlife and feeds the surrounding blocks. Pool homes in Welleby and Springtree: cane toads and Cuban tree frogs come out of the retention lakes after rain — toads on the pool deck and under landscape lights, toxic to dogs; tree frogs on the lit lanai screen and in the pump housing. Older Golf Village streets: geckos and anoles at every entryway. Western lots near Markham Park and the L-35A: native snakes in the mulch after storms, because the park corridor carries wide-ranging species in from the conservation area.
Where to lay the band in Sunrise
Canal and lake homes: a continuous band along the top of the bank, the outside footer of the pool cage or the patio edge, the water-facing hedge, and a ring around each low landscape light and the pool-equipment pad. Sunrise Lakes condo associations: the lake bank and the landscaped strip between the bank and the buildings. Welleby and Springtree pool homes: the cage footer, the hedge, and the lights. Western lots: the fence line facing Markham Park, wood piles, and the mulch beds against the house.
Sunrise is about 13 miles west of our Fort Lauderdale base, on the same route as Plantation and Tamarac. A Golf Village canal lot or a Welleby pool home is a 32 oz job; a Sunrise Lakes association bank is the 5-gal bucket.
A barrier you control, from five ingredients you can read.
ReptilesAway is a granular powder, not a spray, made from five ingredients — sodium chloride, citric acid, lemongrass oil, peppermint oil, and garlic oil — and formulated as an EPA FIFRA 25(b) minimum-risk pesticide — made only from ingredients on the EPA's minimum-risk list, so it is exempt from federal registration. One application lasts 2–3 weeks. The 32 oz bag is $24.99 and covers 1,500 sq ft; the 5-gal bucket is $164.99 and covers 30,000 sq ft. Made with food-grade and botanical ingredients. As with any product, keep pets from eating it directly and check the ingredient list if your pet has known sensitivities to any of them. Local treatment is priced by quote with no contracts — call 1-833-8REPTILES (1-833-873-7845).
See how it works- Sodium chloride01
- Citric acid02
- Lemongrass oil03
- Peppermint oil04
- Garlic oil05
Buy what you need.
Free shipping on orders of $100 or more. Flat $8.95 under that.
Label mockup shown. Final packaging may vary.
ReptilesAway Powder · 32 oz
1,500 SQ FT · 2–3 WEEKS PER APP$24.99
Label mockup shown. Final packaging may vary.
ReptilesAway Powder · 5-Gallon
30,000 SQ FT · 2–3 WEEKS PER APP$164.99
Three steps. You run them.
Find the travel lines
Walk your Sunrise property and flag the routes reptiles use — canal banks, lake banks, pool-cage edges, the gaps under a gate.
Lay the band
Shake a three-foot band of powder along those lines. No spray, no fogger, nothing to dry — fine around the pool and patio.
Reapply on schedule
One pass lasts two to three weeks. Reapply after a heavy rain or every couple of weeks through the long iguana season.
Questions about Sunrise.
Iguanas sit on the canal bank behind my Sunrise Golf Village home every afternoon. Where does the band go?
Along the top of the bank where the grass meets the water, at the base of the hedge they are eating, and along the patio or pool-cage edge. Reapply every two weeks in summer, because storm runoff washes the bank. If neighbors on the same canal treat together, the corridor stops working for them.
Can a Sunrise Lakes condo association book a common-area treatment?
Yes. We walk the lake bank and the landscaped strip with the property manager, mark the sunning spots and the hedge lines iguanas use to reach the buildings, and send a per-visit quote for a single treatment or a recurring schedule with no annual contract. Shared banks usually take the 5-gal bucket.
Cane toads show up on our Welleby pool deck after rain. What helps?
Ring each low landscape light and the pool-equipment pad, and run the band along the outside footer of the pool cage and the lake-facing hedge, since toads come up from the retention lake after rain. Keep it fresh May through October, and keep dogs away from any toad you find — cane toads are toxic to them.
Take back your Sunrise yard.
From Golf Village to the Markham Park edge, the fix is the same: a granular line where the reptiles travel. Run it yourself, or let our crew handle the whole thing.