Well... I was concerned about posting this piece here on the forum as I don't wish to have it critiqued by anyone, however a fellow th'er encouraged me to post it so here goes:
(Copy of my letter to Governer Charlie Crist - 11/02/08)
Good morning Governor Crist. I know that you are a very busy man with many important issues to oversee so I will try to maintain brevity in this letter. (Which I obviously failed to do!)
My name is.... blah, blah, blah and I currently reside in Vero Beach, Florida. I am 41 years of age and had worked in the fields of security & law enforcement in several states (including Florida) for almost 18 years. I have since changed career paths and am now working as a private sector historical shipwreck researcher, recovery diver, and artifact conservator.
I am writing to you to express some serious concerns that I (as well as many other citizens) have in reference to the State of Florida Division of Historical Resources (DHR) and their intentions to present a Rule Change to state legislators this month (November) which mandates the rules and regulations pertaining to the "private sector" research and recovery of historical shipwrecks in Florida's coastal waters. The rule I am referencing is 1A-31.
I, along with many other professional/amateur "treasure hunters" and concerned citizens, attended a state hearing at the Guana Tolomato Matanzas Auditorium in Ponte Vedra Beach on October 21st, 2008 in which both the State DHR and the people of the State of Florida were fairly represented. The hearing was set forth to discuss Rule 1A-31 and this was an opportunity for the public to present any comments or recommend changes to the proposed rules content. I will not take up valuable time to reiterate the entire content of the meeting and the details of the specific points that were addressed as it was well documented as a matter of public record and I am sure you have access to the transcripts from said meeting and can review them at your discretion and convenience.
My Father always taught me to stand up, speak strong and true, and when you can't affect change on your own, address the person(s) who can help your cause... hence my letter to you sir.
I just wanted to take a moment to request that you familiarize yourself with the State DHR's Rule 1A-31 and address the grievances that were presented at the meeting on October 21st as it will have a strong impact on this great state on many levels and has a direct correlation to revenues generated for this state through tourism, employment opportunities, and media/film/tv events.
The basics of the issue are as follows:
The State of Florida Division of Historical Resources and its respective representatives are employed by and have been entrusted by the people of this state to record and preserve our historical resources for our present and future generations. They have an obligation to educate the public about our cultural heritage through the responsible use of media, museums, and hands-on presentations. Furthermore, the State DHR has been entrusted to protect those historical resources from any harm including deterioration caused by the environment, pilfering, and irresponsible handling.
Currently, the State DHR does not have the funding nor the staffing necessary to fulfill these obligations and rare historical artifacts that have been remanded to their care are misplaced, mishandled, and sit decaying in boxes in warehouses, storage units, and probably even garages. Furthermore, as we "speak", the many historical shipwrecks which remain in the high energy environment of our coastal waters are being subjected to a constant state of ongoing deterioration. The state has not endeavored to save these sites and once again, does not have the funding or nor the staffing to do so.
AND YET... the State DHR demands through its own rule making process, the ability to control all of our historical resources and they have embarked on a campaign to make it impossible if not illegal for the private sector (the people of the state of Florida) to even search for its rightful historical heritage. I would like to know who gave these individuals the right and ability to make up laws without any public input or redress? These individuals work for the people of the State of Florida and their jobs are publicly funded. Why are they making rules to breakdown the very relationships that can strengthen efforts toward the common goal of preserving our historical resources?
Private sector shipwreck recovery has been the foundation for a good 90% of the projects that marine archaeologists and state agencies have had the opportunity to work on and most of what is in the "state's collection" and public museums were recovered by and contributed by "treasure hunters".
There should be a spirit of cooperation and every effort should be made to work hand in hand between the DHR/archaeologists and the public/treasure hunters. Private sector shipwreck salvage groups have always endeavored to follow the rules and regulations set forth by the state (and in some cases sustained great personal loss through those efforts).
I don't know if you are aware of the impact that the DHR's rule changes will have on Florida, but here's something to consider sir:
- Private sector shipwreck salvage groups (aka: treasure hunters) were responsible for making the majority of the historical shipwreck discoveries along our coastline to date and the revenue that these discoveries has generated has been immense! Tourists flock to the "Treasure Coast" to meet famous treasure hunters, see the museums that are filled with our contributions, and go to the beaches to "pursue their own dreams of finding some buried treasure". Outlawing metal detecting and regulating professional private sector treasure hunting intonon-existence would definately be detrimental to the state's tourism based economy. Not to mention the fact that many newspapers, news programs, documentaries, feature tv shows and motion pictures have been generated by our endeavors and brought revenue to Florida.
- Private sector shipwreck salvage groups are funded by contracts with private individuals and operate with little or no cost to the taxpayers unlike the State DHR which relies upon tax dollars and grants to operate. Clearly the public supports us in our endeavors as we can only continue to work through their personal financial support & faith in our efforts.
- Private sector salvage operations stimulate the economy and generate employment opportunities in this state by employing everyone from historians, researchers, marine archaeologists, artists, photographers, conservators, divers, crew and support staff, marine mechanics, marina personnel, computer technicians, and even electrical/mechanical engineers. We also generate income for numerous metal detector companies and survey companies. And our contributions to the state has ensured job opportunities for state positions like the DHR and state museum personnel. It amazes me that during a time of war, political uncertainty, and economic hardship, that the State DHR would see fit to put forward a rule that would cause many folks to lose their source of income!
And just a last note... the majority of the private sector shipwreck salvage groups operate in a professional and ethical manner and have a strong respect for the natural environment in which we work. We have also endeavored to meet professional standards in our application of marine archaeological techniques during the course of our operations and have contirbuted a great deal to the advancement of underwater technologies.
I ask you, what has the State DHR created, advanced, or done for the people of Florida?
They have denied exploration and salvage permits to the private sector for the last 15 years and hindered progress with regards to the recovery of our historical resources yet they have granted excavation permits to their friends in the universities within two weeks! Why is that?
They have endeavored to make both the amateur metal detecting citizen and the professional private sector treasure hunters out to be "grave robbers" and "shipwreck looters" despite the fact that they perform exactly the same activities using the same techniques as we do to recover historical artifacts. Why is that?
They have scheduled meetings and hearings pertaining to rulings affecting the salvage community in locations that were inappropriate for the majority of the salvage community to attend and during times that were inappropriate for most to attend. Get the picture?
I ask that the Rule Changes for 1A-31 not be passed into legislation without a more substantial evaluation by both the State of Florida and the people of the State of Florida to ensure that it does not contain wording that would make continued private sector historical shipwreck salvage impossible to continue.
I also ask that the State take a good hard look at the DHR's motivations behind the suggested rule changes and that their tactics for getting the rule change submitted with minimal public scrutiny be investigated.
Well, all that being said, it is my hope that my comments were clear and well stated and I hope that I will have the opportunity to thank you in person sometime in the near future for any efforts that you may extend on the behalf of the private sector shipwreck salvage community and the people of the State of Florida. I hope I never have to ask the question, "Whatever became of the Treasure Coast?"
If you have any questions about my comments or would like to reach me in person, you are welcome to contact me at...
Respectfully....
