Ha! That was a really big dead gator, so I'd say you had about 48 hours to get there in time, unless the vultures decided to throw a really big swamp party and invite alllll their friends.
Hopefully Florida will be here waiting for you. Lots of places to see in it, and many very different from each other. I love my Florida. So apparently winter is the tourist season in the Everglades because the bugs are really bad every other season. I'm honestly a little curious about it. Like, if I come with a mosquito netting hat, wear long pants and sleeves and coat my entire body with bug spray, how bad can it be? I think that, and then I remember the humidity, and yeah, I'm thinking the Everglades is a no-go after the month of March, which is basically the beginning of summer in South Florida.
RE: Big Cypress vs. The Everglades