Speaking of Florida, saw this article and had to laugh  

Yup, peafowl and red tailed boas are both invasive species. I have an intense dislike for peafowl, my mother-in-law kept a flock. Feckin' useless birds, loud and the cocks could be aggressive. Peafowl droppings, like any bird droppings are repulsive and adhesive. No problem for her, the farm hands dealt with that, not her.

For some reason, certain shades of blue angered the cocks, they would peck at my car for hours trying to drive it off.

As a kid, I kept snakes as a hobby but never had a boa or anything as large as this report. That snake could eat anything, an estimate up to 20 lbs of dog/cat/whatever. The neighborhood birds in image are lunch. Snakes are really, really strong, have no handles to grab to control them. Now, suppose your kid comes outside and finds Fluffy-Muffin-Cuddles as a snakes lunch? Your beloved pet might well be alive and struggling. You aren't stopping that process once it's started, the snakes teeth are hook/barbed back to the throat.

The quickest and most effective way to stop a snake is destroy the head, which is where the pet is.