Florida man kept 111 geckos locked in a storage unit that was later abandoned, officials say

ORLANDO, Fla. - A former licensed reptile dealer has been sentenced after more than 100 exotic reptiles were found abandoned in an Osceola County storage unit in 2023, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.

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What we know:

Investigators said 111 African fat-tailed geckos were discovered in filthy containers inside a storage unit that had been locked following nonpayment. Forty-one of the reptiles were dead, and none of the containers had food or water. Employees told investigators no one had visited the unit for at least two months.

FWC identified the suspect as Kelvin E. Soto, 48, a former reptile exhibitor whose license had expired. He was arrested in Virginia and extradited to Florida, where he faced charges of felony animal cruelty and confinement of animals without food or water.

On Aug. 14, Soto accepted a plea agreement, pleading guilty to felony animal cruelty. Under the sentence, he received four years of supervised probation, 100 hours of community service, restitution of more than $5,000 to cover the cost of caring for the surviving reptiles, and a ban on owning or handling animals. The remaining geckos were forfeited.

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What they're saying:

"This case is a powerful example of the work our Captive Wildlife Investigators do every day," said Maj. John Wilke, FWC Captive Wildlife Section Leader. "Their dedication, thoroughness and persistence ensured accountability for the mistreatment of these animals and justice for the ones that survived."

What you can do:

FWC officials urge the public to report suspected abuse by calling the Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC or submitting a tip at MyFWC.com/WildlifeAlert.