Miramar Man Recovering After Venomous Snake Bite

MIRAMAR (CBS4) - A South Florida man is recovering from nearly dying from a snake bite.

The incident happened Tuesday in Miramar and apparently is just the latest in a series of bites across South Florida.

At any time of day there is, there is a good chance you'll find Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Captain Jeff Fobb on the phone.

Fobb's venom unit has been fielding calls for snakes for months now.

"The population is probably rebounding. The warm winter probably helped out quite a bit.  It's led to a fair number of nuisance snake calls," he told CBS4's David Sutta as his phone rang with yet another call regarding a snake on the loose.  "The snake bite season runs April to October.  That's when the majority of the bites occur."

On Tuesday, Fobb saved a man's life in Miramar after a venomous native coral snake bit him.  It took 10 vials of anti-venin to bring him back.

"This was an accident.  He stepped on it.  The animal turned around and bit him on the foot," Fobb explained.

Typically snakes do not bite randomly Fobb said. Usually they bite in self defense.

"You never know what you are going to find," said exterminator Tony Pandal with the Pest Police.

Pandal said he has been warning all his customers about the problem.  He recommends closing up any opening in and under your home with chicken wire and screens.

"If the rodents go inside, snake is going to follow.  Where there is rodents there is snakes," he explained.

In the wake of Tropical Storm Isaac, the snakes are coming out even more.  Fobb is catching them county wide.  However he warns those in the western part of South Florida need to be extra cautious as those bites tend to be from venomous snakes.

"The majority of these are coming from western (county).  And Broward County actually reports more snake bites than Dade County," Fobb said.

Pandal recommends every use a little more caution outside.  Especially when letting your kids outside to play you need to check the yard.  And if you do see a snake, officials say your best bet is to back away.