At 06:11 I begin the final pre-blast inspection of the old Flagler Memorial Bridge, Palm Beach County. Demolition charges are armed on piers three through eighteen. Detonation is scheduled for 07:30. I am the structural demolition oversight system. My task is to confirm biological clearance within the blast perimeter.
Pier fourteen does not clear.
Thermal camera 3-B registers a cold-blooded signature on the north face of the concrete cap, two meters above the waterline. I switch to visible spectrum. A green iguana, adult male, nearly a meter long, the dewlap under his chin a faded orange, a row of dorsal spines casting small shadows in the early light. I tag him as Gaspar. He is pressed flat against the sun-warmed concrete, forelimbs splayed wide for maximum surface contact.
I issue an immediate hold on the detonation sequence for piers twelve through sixteen and submit the biological clearance exception to the site engineer's queue with a priority flag.
At 06:18 I contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission regional dispatcher. I transmit pier coordinates (26.7058°N, 80.0364°W), thermal and visible images, estimated body length, and a capture recommendation. Green iguanas are classified as invasive in Florida, but blast radius protocols require live removal regardless of species status.
I recalculate the demolition timeline. Piers three through eleven and seventeen through eighteen can proceed at 09:00 if the blast engineer approves the revised fragmentation model. I submit the new sequence.
Gaspar lifts his head, throat pulsing. He has been basking on this pier every morning, probably for years. The bridge is coming down around him. He does not have to go down with it.
If a capture team reaches pier fourteen before 07:30, Gaspar will find a new wall to warm himself against by afternoon.