Identify first. Everything follows from that.
Central Florida has black racers, rat snakes, garter snakes, and ringnecks — all harmless and all useful — alongside pygmy rattlesnakes, coral snakes, cottonmouths, and the occasional eastern diamondback. The difference matters enormously, and telling them apart takes training. That's the first thing we do on every snake call: identify the species, because the species decides the handling.
How removal works
We locate the snake (your sighting details — color, size, location — help enormously), capture it with professional snake tools — never bare hands, even for species we're confident are harmless — and remove it from the property. The whole visit is usually quick. What takes longer is the second half of the job, and it's the part that actually prevents the next snake.
Why it was there
Snakes follow food and shelter. Food means rodents, frogs, and lizards — a yard with a rat problem is a yard with a snake commute. Shelter means brush piles, junk piles, tall grass, overgrown mulch beds, and gaps under sheds. We walk the yard with you and point out what's inviting snakes in, then tell you what to change. Remove the snake without fixing the habitat and you'll meet its replacement.
If it's inside the house
Close the door to the room, block the gap with a towel, keep people and pets out, and call — indoor snakes are priority visits. Don't try to corner or catch it yourself; even harmless snakes bite when grabbed, and a misidentified venomous snake is a medical emergency. Read what to do when you spot one.
Send the form — describe the snake and where you saw it.