You never know who may use your hot tub if you leave the cover off of it.
One Florida woman was surprised to hear that is exactly what happened in her neighbor’s out of service hot tub. The gator measured several feet long and it turns out someone was actually keeping the alligator and feeding him. That explains the less than clean water in the bottom of the alligator pond. So there are plenty of uses for an out of service hot tub including breeding alligators. However the homeowner was charged with possession of an alligator because that is not legal in residential neighborhoods. Both the owner and alligator were taken into custody.
http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/403091/71/Alligator-found-in-backyard-hot-tub
Be sure to cover up your own hot tub when not in use to avoid alligators getting in!
It is also not a good idea to leave the spa acrylic exposed to the sun as bubbling or warping of the shell may occur. In this case, there was still water in the footwell, where the alligator resided.
