Miami Lizard Spotting

We went for a little walk behind our hotel, where a waterway separates the property from a golf course.

What looked like a path from our window appears up close to be an effort to prevent erosion.

Suddenly a large lizard jumped out of the bushes and onto the cement blocks just a few feet in front of us. 

It (he or she) was about three feet long, with "spikes" on its back and a striped tail. 

A Mexican spiny-tailed iguana? Maybe, but we're not sure, and after the photo op we left the lizard alone.