Like the crocodiles and alligators she works with, Taylor was shaped by two worlds. Born in ’93 and living between Kendall and Redland, she grew up in the liminal spaces where farmland met asphalt, and wildness clung to the edges of rapid development. Amphibious in spirit, she learned to adapt—rooted by nature, but instinctively navigating a fast-changing Florida.
When the pandemic hit, Taylor turned to falconry-based bird abatement, training hawks to deter invasive species and prevent collisions at landfills, airports, and construction sites. “It’s basically a cat in the sky,” she laughs. “You can’t leash it. You just have to keep up.” That trust and patience became her calling.
She’s worked for the feds at Homestead Air Reserve Base, now assists the UF Croc Docs, and still does abatement on the side, hunting invasive reptiles and protecting what’s left of Florida’s wild spaces.
But Taylor knows conservation isn’t just about wildlife. It’s about people, too. She helped found the Miami chapter of Latino Outdoors, opposed the zoo’s water park development to protect the endangered bonneted bat, and often helps others organize their own campaigns. “So much of the change we need starts with putting our fellow humans first,” she says. “If we don’t look out for one another, we all lose.”
To Taylor, the environment and our communities aren’t all that different—they both need people who care to show up, fight, and make a difference.
Be sure to give @lilsimba93 a follow to support her and her amazing work!
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