One of the best parts of the whole trip to FL was a side trip down a hard packed dirt road we took while returning to Ft. Myers from Key West. On the Tamiami Trail (Hwy 41/90), about 19 miles west of Hwy 997, the main highway turns to the NW. At that point the back road takes off to the south and runs due west for several miles and eventually hooks back up with Hwy 41/90 about 20 miles later. If you are going to try to find it on a map, try Google Earth rather than Google Maps because it shows up better.
It's a decent road, hard pack and easily traveled with a regular car, and that's where we saw all the gators. We didn't keep a count of them, but I'd bet we saw 40-50 along that road. That's where most of the good photos were taken. There are also lots of swamp dwelling birds to see and photograph, and it's just a beautiful drive.