Pinellas Co. Fla. Detecting Help Please

[G.A.P.metal]

Hello
My brother just retired and he has been around Pinellas Co. and more of the Honeymoon Island area.
I told him he should take his metal detector the next time down....then he said he would ask the toll keeper at the bridge if its allowed Legal...i told him not to ask a public so called official anything of the sort.
So I`m asking for help around there as to where you can and can`t metal detect,or a link to the county rules
He will not go into the water or wet sand as i told him his old Garrett GTA 1000 will not like even the wet salt sand,so dry sand...parks anywhere ?
Any help from some of the local hunters would be much appreciated .
Thank You
Gary

 

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[FLauthor]

Plenty of detecting on Clearwater Beach dry sand areas. Tree lawns where the parking meters are in downtown Clearwater offers coins all the time and reseeded every week by careless parkers. Tree lawns are city owned between the sidewalks and the street. I've hunted many over the years and always find coins even some silver. Check old residential tree lawn areas especially around old trees where children sometimes cached their allowance in days of old.

 

[Dooley73]

You are allowed to hunt in Honeymoon Island Park on the beaches between the water line and the dunes.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

You are allowed to hunt in Honeymoon Island Park on the beaches between the water line and the dunes.

Dooley73, curious how you know this ? Is there an express specific "metal detecting allowed here" sign or rule somewhere ?

Or did you ask someone in authority, who said : "Sure, go ahead" ? If so, did you be sure to mention you'd be "digging"? and "taking valuables away" ? Did you mention "holes" , "cultural heritage", "buried utility lines", etc... ? (Lest they not understand the full implications of your question).

Or are you saying it's ok because it's simply always ever been detected, and no one's ever had a problem ? If so, how do you know all those people, for all those years, simply have been "lucky" that no one's been caught ?

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Tom don't start that up....

 

[ARC]

Gap... There are many locations to hunt throughout Pinellas County...
With this said I will also point out... There are many more that are off limits to detecting.
There are also many parks where detecting is allowed but only in certain areas of those parks...
First know that ALL National lands are off limits.
And they strictly enforce it.
Rule #1 in MDing for me is ... IF in doubt .. Find out.
Do not rely on "someone said".
Many times when arriving to a spot you can find a cop... ask em what the deal is... or if planning on hunting a park.. find a park ranger before detecting and ask ONLY them.
Don't ask some guy detecting for he may be detecting without permission.
Areas where there are "burial mounds" and such are definitely a no no.
Some parks have designated "areas" they allow and do not allow detecting... and some even have TIMES in which you can and cannot detect.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

... Do not rely on "someone said"....

Then I wonder why we md'rs tend to float the question on forums, for long-time locals in that location to chime in on ? Wouldn't that just be what "someone said" ?