Florida Metal Detecting Newbie... Leased water questions

[GolfmanT80]

Hello all. I will be receiving my new Garrett AT Pro in a day or two and I am very excited to get out and give it a try. I have been researching FL laws on the net and I see that FL has numerous. Hopefully someone here can help clarify. I live on Hutchison Island in Jensen Beach on the beach. I have read conflicting messages about the Fisher leased areas. Does anyone know if my beach would be on his leased area. I am a mile north of Jensen Beach Sea Turtle beach by the causeway, next door to Waveland public beach. I have read that his leased area is from Sebastian to Ft Pierce. and I have also read that he has from Sebastian to Stuart beach, which is about 6 miles south of me. I would like to detect on the beach and to about waist deep if allowed. I would also like to detect in Jupiter Island by inlet and Palm Beach. I have read that Palm Beach does not allow.

I have also read that you have to turn in anything found that is over 50 yrs old, would that apply to any old Spanish Silver / gold coins etc. I ask because I have seen numerous post of silver / gold pieces that people have found near my area... more N towards Ft pierce.

Can anyone please help clarify... Thanks in advance. Cant wait to get out there and start searching... just don't want to go to Jail...

Thank you,

Golfman

 

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[Tom_in_CA]

golfman, as far as the FL beach rules (which beaches have what rules, via which entity administers said-beach), I'll leave that to others to answer. In fact, this issue has come up SO often for FL (and seemingly never for other states) , that I believe if you merely do a word search on the t'net search function, you will find that your question has been answered multiple times over and over. Also try the word searches on T'depot, findmall, etc... You will the question routinely comes up. And for the most part, they are all open , from what I recall reading.

But I want to address the "50 yr" thing you ask about. The same could be said of state-of-CA beaches (if someone were to read deeply enough, and worry hard enough, and ask enough bureaucrats what verbage means). The state operated beaches here (which is most of the coastline) is routinely metal detected, and no one cares. It's just always been considered open game, and you can detect to your heart's content. However, as I say, you *could* find some sort of state-of-CA "cultural heritage" verbage, if you looked long enough and hard enough. Just as you have apparently done for FL (hence your question). But the deal is, we frequently find 50+ yr. old coins (gasp! say-it-isn't so!). Especially after storms erode down to the older coins. And ......... after 35+ yrs. of this, I have NEVER had anyone come up, with calculator in hand, doing the math of the age of coins we're finding. It has never even occured to anyone here that you can't find them, keep them, etc.... In fact, I bet the average passing ranger or cop or lifeguard wouldn't even BEGIN to wonder or think about such silly things. But is that to say that if I nosed around the halls in Sacramento, asking lots of questions of state archies "can I?" that I might not find someone to say "no"?

So too might it be like that for FL: you can certainly maybe find something like your citing. But the REALITY is, that a) no one cares, and b) no one checks your coins as you leave the beach. I mean, seriously dude, if you were/are really that worried about that one aspect, you can simply .... uh ... but any 1959 pennies or dimes in .... uh .... your "other" apron (or sock or whatever).

It's going to boil down to this: a matter of "no one caring till you ask".

JMHO.