Isolated Finds Law of florida ?

I am trying to find out exactly that myself. When I understand it, I will tell you. :)
 

Thank you for the info on Florida law. Musstag.
 

Here is what I found on Floridas Isolated Finds Law. It does not say anything about the beach or ocean. I did however find this statement-- "analysis of the IFP database examined Isolated Finds reports from May 1996 ... Artifacts have been reported from 27 rivers/creeks, 3 lakes, one beach, and one sinkhole."


 Isolated Finds:The Isolated Finds Program (IFP) allowed divers to legally collect artifacts (e.g., arrowheads, pottery sherds) from some Florida rivers by reporting information on their finds to the Division of Historical Resources.

§ 267.115(9), Florida Statutes states that "the division may implement a program to administer finds of isolated historic artifacts from state-owned river bottoms whereby the division may transfer ownership of such artifacts to the finder in exchange for information about the artifacts and the circumstances and location of their discovery."

Artifacts were not to be collected from known archaeological sites or from rivers within managed areas like parks, preserves and forests.

The IFP began in 1996 as a cooperative effort between the Division and river divers who were concerned that their long standing hobby was jeopardized by increased criminal penalties for removing artifacts from State of Florida owned lands.

The Division attempted to inform river divers about the IFP with flyers, public presentations, meetings with river divers, and a web page.

In November 2003 the Florida Historical Commission recommended that the Division discontinue the IFP and explore alternative programs. This decision was based on low participation and problems with enforcement of the IFP.

The Division held public meetings in April and June 2004 to receive input on the IFP and possible alternative programs. Letters requesting input were sent to IFP participants, avocational and professional archaeological societies, American Indian tribes, land managing and law enforcement agencies.

The Historical Commission discussed this issue and received public comment at its meetings in Delray Beach (May 15, 2004) and Tallahassee (November 15, 2004 and April 7, 2005).

The Division's review of the IFP was presented to the Historical Commission in May 2005. The Commission unanimously recommended that the Division discontinue the IFP without a replacement program.

The Division accepted the recommendation of the Historical Commission and notified IFP participants and other interested parties that the IFP was discontinued as of June 1, 2005. Participants were encouraged to continue their interests in Florida archaeology by working with scholars and archaeological societies.

Between June 1996 and June 2005 the Division received 1,115 IFP reports from 150 individuals. Seven individuals submitted 54 % of the IFP reports received.

10,720 artifacts were collected under the IFP program from 51 rivers and lakes. In two cases divers reported locating significant sites and donated their finds to the Division; in all other cases the artifacts were kept by the finders.

Geographic analysis indicates that 10 % of the IFP reports represent artifacts removed from known archaeological sites.

In the absence of the IFP removal of artifacts from river bottoms and other sovereign submerged lands is a first degree misdemeanor under § 267.13(1)(a), Florida Statutes. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

bigcypresshunter Thank you for all the info. David
 

dbrick54

Would someone Please tell me what this law is
Click to expand...

Isolated Find means that you're wasting your time metal detecting in Florida State but when the same people that created that law-"isolated finds" need the aid of some metal detecting club to find an archaeological place or to solve a crime trial evidence then that law doesn't apply to you.

is it fair?

Regard
Amona
 

But is it ALL riverbeds, lakes and such or just areas located on State owned land as in parks, state forests and historical sites? From what I gather the beach is OK to hunt (between dunes and surf) so it just doesn't make sense.

I doubt I'll ever fully understand it....
 

ALL riverbeds are state owned... Lakes?... I guess the beach is OK. :-\
It only applys to 50 year old items. Gold jewelry lost recently is OK to find.
 

Keep your eyes on the ball boys... beach hunting will be outlawed before you know it.

America... Land of the free? Don't think so...
A government by the people for the people? Don't think so...
A government that leads with honesty, integrity, and assumes accountability? Don't think so...

Treasure hunters turning in their finds? Don't think so!!
 

I brought a shovel to a crowded beach the other weekend and got some real dirty looks.( I filled in all my holes). People walking along the waters edge expected me to move out of their path while I was digging a signal. They walked around sand castles, but refused to walk around me without some nasty remarks! :o Now I know why detectorists work early morning or night.
 

While I have no problem working with archaeologist it's sad to think that a guy can do all the research, find the location, turn in his findings, and then later learn that the area has become an official "archaeology site." In essence, the guy who did all the work and made the discovery is left out in the cold, which is wrong no matter how you look at it. If Florida, or any other state, really wants to fix the system then they need to in-act some sort of "finders law" that insures the finder is treated fairly. A great deal of what is discovered is in fact discovered by the private sector and armatures using their own time and funds, treat them fairly and I feel pretty certain that the amount of "known" discoveries will increase rather noticeably. What the professional sector fails to realize, or to admit, is that a great deal of what has been discovered would still be lost if not for the armature sector. Sure, some in the armature sector have abused the system and the privilege, as have many in the professional sector. However, the armature sector far outweighs the professional sector and it would be in the professional sector's best interest to embrace their efforts rather then to seek laws to threaten their future efforts or penalize them for it. Just my opinion for what it's worth.
 

??? I for one would never report what I find to any government agency. One would think that reporting a significant find of archeological importance would be a good thing but....usually the government agency you report it to notes that the find was by an amateur and that damage to the site was done by the same amateur. With every reporting we make to a government agency we give the government bureaucrats more ammunition to pass laws to make our hobby illegal. Our government is not there to help us, it is there to protect us from everything and sooner or later we won't be able to do anything in this country. Years ago I lived in Charleston, S.C. (1980's) and I dove on the Charleston river with friends to search for ancient shark teeth buried in the river bottom. Looking back on it I wonder why I did it because it sure as heck wasn't fun! Zero visibility and a 4 knot current dragging you down river while you are trying to get to the bottom and once on the bottom all you could do was stick your hands in the gooey mud up to your wrists and elbows and let the current pull you along like a big scoop. Every time we pulled up some kind of ancient shark tooth and those things are BIG. Well, to get to the point of all of this...we couldn't keep ANY of it because of S.C. law pertaining to ancient artifacts no matter where they were. We were going to keep what we found until we noticed we were being observed by some kind of law enforcement people in a boat. That is when we "discovered" the S.C. law pertaining to artifacts. We had to give everything to the archeologists and if they didn't want it we would get it back. Never got a thing back and nothing was ever heard from them. So, moral of the story is keep your mouth shut and enjoy what you find.
 

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