Gator woman on 'Today': 'I can't believe all of this!'

ST. PETERSBURG -- The 8-foot, 8-inch alligator that became Sandra Frosti's uninvited guest landed the Pinellas County woman on NBC's Today show this morning.

Frosti, 69, left, gained notoriety this week after an alligator appeared in the kitchen of her East Lake condo late Monday.

In an interview with Today host Meredith Viera, above, Frosti recalled the harrowing discovery and subsequent trapping of the gator. She said the trappers asked her to pet the animal before they hauled it off.

"The top is hard, like a rock," she said.

Frosti seemed more relieved for Poe, her house cat, than any of the damage to her north Pinellas condominium. She said she's repaired the screens and will make sure to lock her doors.

The story ignited worldwide coverage, with local TV stations across America and international news Web sites picking up the story. Comments continue to stream in.

Google News indicates the story has been picked up nearly 300 times  by different news outlets and wire services. (For a sample of the Internet news coverage, please see the following: The Guardian, London, UK; News.com.au, Sydney, Australia; The Scotsman, Edinburgh, Scotland)

Despite the widespread attention, Frosti shrugged it all off.

"It's Florida," she said.

The pair joked about the dispatcher's response -- and apparent disbelief -- at Frosti's call. As footage of the animal's capture rolled, a Today camera panned back to Viera, who cocked and eyebrow, smirked and smiled: "An iguana."

Click here to see Tuesday's tampabay.com video report.

Casey Cora, Times staff writer