Pirate Treasure-Trying to get a permit to dig up

[Bigdogdad]

I am trying to get a permit to dig up a cache of pirate silver buried on Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) controlled state property. My initial request has been denied. I am meeting with the FDOT officials Monday May 14 in Bartow, Florida. They gave me 4 reasons to deny the permit. I do not think that any one of them is a good enough reason to stop me.
What I think it boils down to is that the State Archaeoligists do not want me to do any digging as they consider me a "treasure hunter". They also told me that even if they were to let me dig I would not be allowed to keep anything that is found. I think this is BS as if it were not for me it would not be known to any of them. The fact that I am going about it legally instead of sneaking in at night should be reason enough for me to get some sort of reward for my honesty and efforts.
I know that there will be people on this board that will think I am being stupid for going about it legally. I am not interersted in committing a third degree felony and risking going to prison for some silver bars. Even if I were to initially get away with it, I know that I would not be able to keep my big mouth shut and would eventually tell the wrong person. I am also not interested in having the long arm of the IRS knocking down my door in the middle of the night. It's just not worth it.
I have known about the treasure at this location for 25 years. I never went after it as I figured it would be too much trouble. I think its harder to get permission to dig now then it would have been back in 1987. Of course I was 31 years old then and now I am a much harder edged and wiser 56.
The gentleman that showed me this location also showed me the location of dozens more treasures. I have written an un-published book about my adventures called "My Treasure Story". I have a meeting scheduled with a reporter from the Tampa Tribune that is interested in doing an article about this treasure, my involvement, and the ongoing battle between the Archaeologists "archies" and the treasure hunters. I am fairly new to this board and to this battle. I could use all the advice I can get at this point.
I am seeking a 50/50 split on anything found. I also want the rights to all video of this dig. There are other Treasurenet members that are involved in this. They will remain unnamed by me. I believe there may be over a ton or more of silver bars/coins buried. I know the exact location and depth. One way or another they will be LEGALLY dug up by me. The sooner the better. I will keep you posted. Comments are welcome.

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[10claw]

bigdogdad, in my honest and humble opinion, i think you would be much better off to forget trying to deal with the state and go for the other treasures.
the state and the archies will in the end make you the loser and they care not how they do it. if you try and fail it will be one more feather up their arse.
never give them a hint as to where it is either because if you do you may as well forget it.
my 2 1/2 cents. i will be watching so please keep t-netters posted regardless of the out come. i hope you can win.

[Bigdogdad]

You tell me to forget it and go for other treasures and then say that if I tell them where it is I may as well forget it. I am going to convince them to let me dig. I have talked to all the local government officials to try to get their help to dig and also to keep the treasure within our county by putting the states share in our local museum. Our county is the starting place for one of the most famous treasure hunters of all. Hernando Desoto landed here to search for gold. He did not let the local officials stop him. As they were all Indians he and his men just killed anybody that got in his way. We have a parade, a state park and a statue dedicated to honoring him. We also are home to the Pittsburgh Pirates winter training at Pirate City. On the other side of the bay we have the Tampa Bay Bucaneers. We also have all kinds of events for Jose Gaspar. So needless to say we love pirates and treasure hunters. It should be a piece of cake to be able to dig up some pirate treasure. It is not my fault that the Archies are pissed off at treasure hunters. I have already let the FDOT know of the general area of the dig site. Maybe I am making a lot of mistakes. We will see.

[FISHEYE]

As soon as you tell the state where it is they will dig it up for themselves and it will never be seen or heard from again.Just wait till the economy hits bottom.The state or cops wont have the funding for anything or to even go after you.

[FISHEYE]

Jose Gaspar is a myth conjured up by some construction contractor to draw tourists to florida.

[Hot zone]

Bigmouthdogdad me thinks you've said to much already!

[Bigdogdad]

To Fisheye, I read your quote at the bottom of your posts. Here is my take on it. "Millions of dollars of Spanish treasure await those who dare brave to confront the authorities and get the permits you need."

[Diver_Down]

You need to form a corporation that conducts environmental clean-up. Get approved by the state, and ensure that you are on the top of the list for emergency clean-ups on the highways. Arrange for an accident with a massive diesel/chemical spill on the area that you wish to dig. The state will want you to "clean" up the area thoroughly and quickly. Problem solved.

[mad4wrecks]

Maybe something along these lines Bigdogdad, a perfectly legal reason to dig:

Can my science class or community organization plant trees or flowers on Interstate rights-of-way near our city?
Yes, but you must contact your State transportation department to locate an appropriate spot and learn how to plant safely. Many States require a plan and a permit for volunteer plantings in rest areas, city entry sites, or other locations. Remember that trees are fixed objects and can be deadly if struck by a vehicle moving at high speed, so trees must be planted in areas where they will not cause safety problems. Some States have special planting programs within Adopt-A-Highway or Adopt-A-Spot volunteer programs.

Eisenhower Interstate Highway System -Frequently Asked Questions


Tom

[Bigdogdad]

Why do people always try to make things complicated? Thanks for the help so far but what has been said is give up, shut up. lie, scam. I already told all of them that I think there is a big pile of silver buried by pirates. The location is a known pirate camp going back to the 1500's. If I am going to have any chance of keeping it legally, we have to be prepared for what might happen if it really is a pile of silver bars/coins. I have arranged for police protection, I have arranged for where to take it, I will have legally binding contracts in place as I have two lawyers standing by to defend our ageeement. When, not if, we go to dig it up, I think everyone will be shocked if it is what I say it is. We will move quickly to put our plan into action. I am being straightforward and honest with my dealings with the FDOT. I have lined up 3 archaeologists who will be available to supervise the dig. I want plenty of local media attention to keep things recorded so the public is aware of whats going on. I am trying to set the example of how you should go about trying to recover treasure on state property legally. Treasure hunters are being shown in a bad light. Shows such as "American Diggers", "Gold Rush", "Bering Sea Gold", etc, make treasure hunters look like a bunch of idiots who will destroy anything that gets in the way of finding the "treasure". I will be having everything proffessionally videoed. I want to show kids how you are supposed to do things right. No heavy equipment, no fighting/cussing/yelling/whining. If I can pull this dig off I will make a lot of good contacts and gain tons of credibility. The same old man that led me to this spot, showed me the locations of treasure from as far south as Alligator Alley, to a place in northern Pennsylvania. Many of the locations were well known treasure stories. I joined TN to move forward with my story. So far it has worked out even better than I planned. In 1987 I was the young bull wanting to rush out and dig up a treasure site. It was on private property and I got a written contract to dig. I used a backhoe and made a big mess. I was 31 at the time. I am now the old bull at 56. Still young by some peoples standards. I have accumulated dozens of treasure sites and many dozens more treasure stories. My plan is to dig them all up and help see that they are used for the good of society. I plan on starting a not-for-profit organization as I believe it will make it easier to go after anything on state property. Of course all you need on private property is an agreement with the property owner. Being known as honest and successful can help earn the trust of the indivduals who believe they know where something is buried but don't know how to go about finding it. I believe there is way more treasure to be found in the Tampa Bay area than anywhere else in the country. Some will say I am crazy, friends and relatives already have. Yeah I'm crazy, like a fox. I was in the military as a paratrooper, Army Engineer, Jungle Warfare Expert, and many other things. When I came to TN at the begininng of March I was called a liar and BS'r. I showed my diplomas and awards to a few skeptics. A few people even came to see me. Once they met me they realized how serious I am about all this. I read the thread on what to do if you found the "motherload". It seems that the majority of people on here recommend that you lie,cheat, steal etc, to get the treasure. Kind of like modern day pirates. I am going to try it my way. Stay tuned.

[Hot zone]

Why do people always try to make things complicated? Thanks for the help so far but what has been said is give up, shut up. lie, scam. I already told all of them that I think there is a big pile of silver buried by pirates. The location is a known pirate camp going back to the 1500's. If I am going to have any chance of keeping it legally, we have to be prepared for what might happen if it really is a pile of silver bars/coins. I have arranged for police protection, I have arranged for where to take it, I will have legally binding contracts in place as I have two lawyers standing by to defend our ageeement. When, not if, we go to dig it up, I think everyone will be shocked if it is what I say it is. We will move quickly to put our plan into action. I am being straightforward and honest with my dealings with the FDOT. I have lined up 3 archaeologists who will be available to supervise the dig. I want plenty of local media attention to keep things recorded so the public is aware of whats going on. I am trying to set the example of how you should go about trying to recover treasure on state property legally. Treasure hunters are being shown in a bad light. Shows such as "American Diggers", "Gold Rush", "Bering Sea Gold", etc, make treasure hunters look like a bunch of idiots who will destroy anything that gets in the way of finding the "treasure". I will be having everything proffessionally videoed. I want to show kids how you are supposed to do things right. No heavy equipment, no fighting/cussing/yelling/whining. If I can pull this dig off I will make a lot of good contacts and gain tons of credibility. The same old man that led me to this spot, showed me the locations of treasure from as far south as Alligator Alley, to a place in northern Pennsylvania. Many of the locations were well known treasure stories. I joined TN to move forward with my story. So far it has worked out even better than I planned. In 1987 I was the young bull wanting to rush out and dig up a treasure site. It was on private property and I got a written contract to dig. I used a backhoe and made a big mess. I was 31 at the time. I am now the old bull at 56. Still young by some peoples standards. I have accumulated dozens of treasure sites and many dozens more treasure stories. My plan is to dig them all up and help see that they are used for the good of society. I plan on starting a not-for-profit organization as I believe it will make it easier to go after anything on state property. Of course all you need on private property is an agreement with the property owner. Being known as honest and successful can help earn the trust of the indivduals who believe they know where something is buried but don't know how to go about finding it. I believe there is way more treasure to be found in the Tampa Bay area than anywhere else in the country. Some will say I am crazy, friends and relatives already have. Yeah I'm crazy, like a fox. I was in the military as a paratrooper, Army Engineer, Jungle Warfare Expert, and many other things. When I came to TN at the begininng of March I was called a liar and BS'r. I showed my diplomas and awards to a few skeptics. A few people even came to see me. Once they met me they realized how serious I am about all this. I read the thread on what to do if you found the "motherload". It seems that the majority of people on here recommend that you lie,cheat, steal etc, to get the treasure. Kind of like modern day pirates. I am going to try it my way. Stay tuned.

The fact that it was stolen in the first place by pirates gives Spain a claim because it was stole from them and I guess any natives who had their gold and silver stolen by spanish conquest. If you are absolutely sure it is there you have done something illegal already. A fact that is sure to come up when the treasure is stolen again. This time from you!

You have decided to embrace the stupidity and for this I must commend you for having the strength of your convictions; naive though they be!

[Bigdogdad]

I am not absolutely sure it is there. I am convinced enough to follow through. How many of the treasure stories out there are based on fact? How many people are willing to go through all the effort it takes to find something of great value not knowing for sure that anything is there? If you are looking for a sure thing, treasure hunting is not for you. I have done nothing illegal. I told some others about this back in 1989 and they said it was there "for sure". They were not interested in silver at the time and no one wanted to have to deal with the state. Hotzone, I assure you than I am anything but naive. I have accomplished everything that I have set out to do in this life so far except dig up a pile of treasure. To be able to do it in front of the whole world is icing on the cake. As I may attempt to do this dig as a live-pay-per-view event, I could become wealthy whether I get to keep the treasure or not. I will not dig without a written contract. Let the state officials do something illegal and then we will see what happens. There are lots of stories of corrupt state employees here in Florida. This all sounds like a pretty good story to me.

[Hot zone]

Sorry, I must be naive and didn't think a man of your age would go to all the trouble and expense on a hunch. I do have a really good map of the lost Dutchman mine, Lol. I assumed you had stealthily put a spade into the ground after midnight with your red flashlight and uncovered real tangeble evidence. I am sure you won't fail if you are happy to find nothing and you get a reality TV gig. Personally treasure hunting is a hobbie and I will only get serious if I find something real, be it only a mason jar of old coins. Perhaps you going through all this effort may give another option to the before mentioned rational but dishonest methods.

[Bigdogdad]

Fortunately I have had some pretty good PM's sent to me. At least some people take me seriously and want to help. A thank you to them. I guess if you go on here and talk about some real treasure hunting the wanabee's on this forum will all get jealous. I have risked my life in the pursuit of treasure. I have driven thousands of miles on numerous occasions for research and to try and recover buried treasure. I am not interested in being on a reality tv gig. I have yet to see one that is "real". When, not if I get permission to dig up what I hope to be silver I will have the chance to ascertain if it is such. If it is what I think it is every treasure hunter out there will want to see the video of it coming out of the ground into our hands. I actually think that if I were to put the story of why I think it is there and were to put a photo of the exact location on here that around 9998 out of 10,000 "treasure hunters" would not try to dig it up. There are a couple on here that would. Lots of talkers in the world. Talk is cheap, text is free.

[WIT]

Bidogdad, or anyone else that wants to address the question. Don't anyone take this the wrong way but these threads always draw my attention and I check them often SO.... has anyone on Treasurenet ever ended up finding the buried treasure that they feel they know the location of? I'm in no way trying to discourage you or be sarcastic. I'm just curious.

I wish you all the luck in getting permission to dig the pirate booty. I will stay tuned.

[Hot zone]

Jeese Man I was only haven a little fun, besides I got several big dog T shirts already.

[lockdownking]

Really?
I have tried to do things legally through the state in reference to gold and silver finds.
I see it this way.
If I make a find, (which I may already have) inside the state of Florida, I am going to take "my booty", melt it down,
and sell it after documenting it (pictures, location etc.). When asked about the melted down gold and silver while selling it, I will refer to it as found at sea. Or, they were family heirlooms.
We do not know what is going to happen to us tomorrow. I could die in a car wreck.
I want to be able to live my life as happily as I can.
When I die, then, the state of Florida will receive all of my pictures and locations.
I am a very strong believer in the justice system.
But I am also a strong believer in keeping archeologists working.
Finding gold and silver only boosts the economy.
I believe my rights are being infringed on when it comes to locating ANY treasure.
When the state of Florida releases their "grasp" on all of the gold they haven't found, then we can put archeologists back to work and work together to recover the history of Florida while we as treasure hunters reap the rewards.
In order to protect our history and keep it from rusting away to nothing, we must open the laws of the state of Florida to treasure hunters and work with them so we as a people can enjoy the histories mysteries buried in the sand. Otherwise, we face losing ALL of Florida's history to people like me who DON'T take notes. Or to salty oceans. Or sandpaper like sands. Or hurricanes.
I am not running for Florida senate.
I am a firm believer in our history.
Thank you all for trying to do things the legal way, but in some instances, some of us will be dead before they will ever pass the laws allowing
TREASURE HUNTERS.

[Bigdogdad]

lockdownking, I can definitely see your point. I may die in a rainstorm tomorrow on my way to see the FDOT officials. Maybe I would be better off staying home. NOT! I have lived my life on the edge from the time I was a little kid. Scuba diving with sharks, skydiving, race cars (see my roadrace 57 on the TN car board), demolition derbys, motorcycle racing, just being stupid. What did I do these things for? The adreniline rush. For attention. For excitement. Just to try to have fun. Tomorrow morning I will be sitting across the table from four FDOT officials. They have already turned me down once. Does that faze me? Not one bit. It excites me. I want to meet them face to face. I like the challenge. Will I win? There is only one way to find out. I know that even if I can get them to let me/others dig up the silver, I may not get to keep any of it. That does not stop me. Is it fair? No. I am going to take this public so that the average person can see how one-sided things have become when it comes to treasure hunting. If it is left up to the officials it will only get worse. More and more laws will be passed to prevent any future generations the excitement of the hunt. It is very possible that there may be nothing of value buried at Rocky Bluff. If a treasure is to be found and dug up, I would like to be the one to do it.

[TRanegar36]

Just go out there at night and dig them up!!

[Bigdogdad]

Thanks, I never thought of that. It might rain tonight. Perfect time to dig. Just like in the movies. Maybe I should have done that before I told everybody. So stupid of me. Me is dumb. Goodnight.