FLORIDA

[wreckdiver1715]

There are no Florida laws or state statutes that prohibit you from diving with a metal detector. It is true however, that you must stay out of leased sites (see below), and out of some protected habitats with your detector. Additionally, you must abide by Florida law should you find anything on the bottom and recover it. Don't; effective 1 June 2005, the state of Florida did away with the Isolated Finds program. This program gave treasure hunters the opportunity to keep the find as long as they provided the state with the location.

It is now against the law to recover anything in state waters more than 50 years old. As a diver you are responsible for knowing these laws and locations before you dive with your detector. In Florida state waters include all submerged bottom lands to include lakes, rivers and three miles out into the ocean on the East coast, nine miles out on the Gulf Coast, and twelve miles out from Key West.

Inside State parks you are required to get written permission from the Park Ranger before you hunt in the park. However, the State does allow metal detectors in some state parks. Not so with the Fed's! Do not bring your detector into a Florida National park, and that includes any beaches, or waters adjacent to the National Park. For example the Canaveral Seashore National Park is patrolled by park police by land, sea and air, and there boats can out run mine. They have strict orders to keep treasure hunters away.

You can dive on Mel Fisher wrecks on the treasure coast if you so desire. However, be advised that you should not have a metal detector in the lease sites, and you must stay 300 feet away from the dive boats that are working the leases, and don't bring the detector within 3,000 yards (while in the water) of the GPS coordinates listed below.

There are no private beaches in the State of Florida (other than the National Parks), and you are allowed to hunt the beaches from the Dune to the low tide line as you desire, and that includes the beaches adjacent to the 1715 fleet of Spanish shipwrecks. The rule on the beach is finders keepers, so don't let any beachside Condo owners or Hotel operators try to run you off, as they do not own the beach, the people of Florida own the beaches.

A note of caution while hunting on the beach at night, starting in May - October it is turtle nesting season, and artificial lighting is forbidden on the beach, especially in Brevard and Indian River County?s, help us protect our endangered and protected wildlife.

BENT ANCHOR S32G 27.55.7N X 80.29.12W; East to 27.55.7N X 80.28.57W; South-southeast to 27.53.28N X 80.27.24W; West to 27.53.28N X 80.27.68W; then follow the mean low tide line to point of beginning.
CABIN WRECK S27 27.49.8N X 80.25.55W is the center point of a 3,000 yard radius excluding all land west of mean low tide line.
DOUGLAS BEACH S26 27.25.3N X 80.16.50W is the center point of a 3,000 yard radius excluding all land west of the mean low tide line.
POWER PLANT S25 27.21.2N X 80.13.65W is the center point of a 3,000 yard radius excluding all land west of the mean low tide line.
ANCHOR WRECK S23 27.48.2N X 80.24.70W is the center point of a 3,000 yard radius excluding all land west of the mean low tide line.
SPRING OF WHITBY S23 27.46.0N X 80.23.83W is the center point of a 3,000 yard radius excluding all land west of the mean low tide line.
RIO MAR S23 27.38.3N X 80.20.90W is the center point of a 3,000 yard radius excluding all land west of the mean low tide line.
SANDY POINT S23 27.35.8N X 80.19.65W is the center point of a 3,000 yard radius excluding all land west of the mean low tide line.
UNKNOWN S23 27.19.0N X 80.12.30W is the center point of a 3,000 yard radius excluding all land west of the mean low tide line.
CORRIGANS WRECK S25 27.46.2N X 80.22.67W is the center point of a 3,000 yard radius excluding all land west of the mean low tide line.

 

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[vic910]

Thanks for the info!

vicki

 

[surfrat96]

Thanks for the info. I got chewed out at the beach one night several weeks ago about wearing my headlamp. Didn't know about the turtles.

HH 8) surfrat

 

[msentme]

? ?There are no private beaches in the State of Florida (other than the National Parks), and you are allowed to hunt the beaches from the Dune to the low tide line as you desire,

I was detecting one of the local beaches in Destin yesterday and came upon a sign. The sign clearly stated that beyond that point was private beach; no metal detecting, sunbathing, fishing or walking. Has there been a change in Florida law or could I ignore the sign without fear of legal troubles?
Thanks for being,
John from Destin

 

[JakePhelps]

Thats stupid :P How can you not dig up things over 50 years old? i mean its not like theres a setting on the detector I think its ok to go whereever the tide line is. I hate those stupid rich people on the cape who think they own the beach I always take extra long searching their beaches

 

[wreckdiver1715]

I have heard of several instances (this year), of beachside land owners calling police because people are ?on there beach?. One of the local Orlando news channels even carried one such story a couple months ago about an incident on the east coast. In that case police took no action against any beach goers. However, the land owner had plenty to say on camera, and that may be the way it is way up north, but this is Florida!
It is always possible that exceptions to the rule may exists within some municipalities, and I would check with local authorities first just to be on the safe side before a possible confrontation. Let us know what you find out!

Happy hunting

Q

 

[gldhntr]

only place i ever had trouble in fla was just a bit above perdido key,,,,some kind of nature preserve there, and i was told not to even pick up a sea shell from the beach in the area......it was shortly after the hurricanes last year, so maybe that is why they were so strict there..................gldhntr

 

[diggummup]

wreckdiver1715-Thanks for the info.Does that include lakes on private property.Don't you just love the laws these *!#^&%'s come up with,before long we won't be able to detect anything,legally.I wonder who came up with the magic number 50?Also can you check out my post in this section about Florida WMA's,regarding interpretation of law,maybe give me your 2 cents? -diggummup

 

[wreckdiver1715]

My gut feeling is that it would not include lakes on private property. However, the law reads in effect, any navigable waterway.

 

[wreckdiver1715]

UPDATE on Private Beaches in Florida;
I have recently learned that there are indeed some privately owned beaches in Florida. However, they are the exception (and relatively few in number). There are a couple of exclusive beach side hotels in West Palm and Miami that have "Private Beaches".

 

[wreckdiver1715]

http://www.law.fsu.edu/journals/landuse/Vol151/spain1.htm

 

[Will_detect4food]

All lakes belong to the state even if they are surrounded by private land the water is floridas domain

 

[Will_detect4food]

of course unless you fly onto the lake you may not be able to access this state property

 

[SEAHUNTER]

AS IRONIC AS IT MAY SEEM OR SOUND, THERE IS NO BEACH IN WEST PALM BEACH.

 

[954hunter]

UPDATE on Private Beaches in Florida;
I have recently learned that there are indeed some privately owned beaches in Florida. However, they are the exception (and relatively few in number). There are a couple of exclusive beach side hotels in West Palm and Miami that have "Private Beaches".

There are a few in Broward County as well, but very few, alot of property owners/condo "assos" will attempt to bluff you off the beach. In Broward I would examine the Broward County Property Appraiser web site, they have a sat. image of the property line and you can see if the line goes to the water line or not.
Or you could wade into the area and stay in calf deep water......maybe bring an inflatable boat with you.


GL/HH

 

[islandwheels]

Wreckdiver 1715, thanks so much for the info on the wreck sites and their boundaries. I'd like to confirm this information somehow. A 3000 ft radius while large at least opens doors for just general hunting in the water outside of such boundaries.
Thanks so much again for the reference.

 

[wreckdiver1715]

It's a big ocean out there!

 

[fl_aurum]

Great Thread -just a couple of questions......

Wreck Dive, great thread, but am somewhat confused about public vs. private beaches and what is one to do if one finds something older than 50 years old. I was under the impression that all beaches are open to the public in Fla, but some of the thread replies said there are some areas where it is private. If threatened by a land owner should one stand one's ground on t he dry sand? Also, what does one do if one finds a relic older than 50 years old? Turn it over to the state?

 

[Tom_in_CA]

I'm not wreck-diver, but my answer to your question on how to know private vs public beaches would be, to look on a map. Maps are usually color-coded to show city property boundries. And city, verses county, verses state, verses Fed. owned parks, each have their own color code on a map too, right?

Here in CA (and maybe in FL too?) the only "private" beaches are the dry portion upper beach, above the dunes. All the wet sand "tide zone" is public. So we just don't worry about it. And as far as coins over 50 yrs. old, your math was never that good, right?

 

[wreckdiver1715]

When I'm discussing the 50 year rule, that only applies to items found in the water, and in that case the law requires that you report it / turn it into the state. However, for the average beach detector, items found on the beach, between the base of the sand dune, and the average low tide line the rule is still "Finders Keepers", and you are under no obligation to report it to the state.

Concerning private beaches, there are a few, mostly at a few exclusive hotels for the filthy rich and famous, and I am sure that most are well marked. If its just a run of the mill condo, or beach house. As a general rule of thumb, the beach belongs to the people of Florida, not the condo owners. If it was me being confronted by someone that sounds like they are from Jersey, I would advise them to call the police and file a complaint, and then I would continue my detecting. But hey! that's just me...