BROWARD COUNTY FLORIDA.. NO METAL DETECTING IN PARKS

[pirimid]

I am posting this info for all to see as I already responded to another member concerning metal detecting in the Broward County Florida parks (ALLOWED ON NOT ALLOWED--ANSWERED)


You are NOT allowed to metal detect in ANY of the Broward County Parks....(period)...Yes, IT is absolutely ridiculous..in your question you list the broward county parks info web site..The 2nd to the last bullet on the bottom states check the broward county dode (25 1/2)..I have done the research for you and everyone else in this forum....
https://library.municode.com/index.aspx?clientId=10288

Under the above Broward County Codes CHECK OUT CODE 25 1/2-3 Subsection (b) >>Click on the general section 25 1/2 Article 1 (In General)>>then under 25 1/2 (3) Park Property--subsection (b)....


They do not want anyone to dig into the grass at all...I spoke with a woman (Tony Payton) of Broward county parks and although she didn't know the exact code--(I found that) she did say metal detecting is not allowed under the general code 25 1/2..
Sadly, I also contacted and spoke with the Coral Springs Parks and Rec dept head (Rick Engle) who also told me Metal detecting is not allowed in the city parks...IT DOES NOT SAY A SINGLE WORK ABOUT METAL DETECTING IN THE COUNTY OR CITY WEBSITE.
It references disturbing the grass and no digging of holes...you or anyone can contact me by phone for more info...James.M 954 696 8494
Not to say that I have ever been bothered while metal detecting in Fort Lauderdale,, I was stopped in Coral Springs. (Mullins Park)..

I hope this helps you and all of my metal detecting family...

 

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[Msbeepbeep]

Is there any way you can get that law over turned or amended ? Because once they start shutting down places it's like a domino effect.

You guys have to fight it, if you don't no one else will! You have a lot of MD'ers down there. The rest of us can e-mail and make phone calls to help you out. That's what we did here in Mass, and it's working so far, but we're not taking our eyes off of them, either!

 

[dirtdigginfool]

Pirimid..sorry to hear about the loss of detecting in the parks there..Where I live in Ohio, there has been a city-wide ban on detecting in ANY and all city parks for about 15 years. Seems our old nemesis...Mister hole-maker/ not fill-in'er, wreaked havoc back in the day and now we are paying the price. However, there has been some flexibility as of late, as I was called to a local park (soccer field) near my house to locate a very expensive gold/platinum ring lost by a soccer coach. Before hunting it, one of the people involved happens to know one of the Parks superintendents and asked for permission to hunt for the ring. Permission granted..target located and returned to the rightful owner..and now I have been granted by said person to hunt this park whenever I want. Now I am working on gaining access to other parks..baby steps. Seeing as your ban just went into effect, it will probably be difficult to overturn or sway opinions this early. Do you have any organized clubs in your area? If so, put a game plan together to approach the right people and discuss the situation. See exactly why the ban went into effect and what MIGHT be done to ease things up a little. Again, you have my sympathy, sites are hard enough to access without a county wide ban..so good luck !! ddf

 

[pirimid]

I'm moving to Washington State in less than a month...I just wanted to answer another members question. Since I did that I posted the info for everyone else who lives here in Broward county. I wouldn't even mind if the county opted for a option to if they (the county) wanted to make some extra money in creating a metal detecting license. ex..#50.00 for the year..I mean we have in florida a state fishing license if someone wants to go fishing in a canal for Bass you are supposed to have this state license and that only costed me $35.00 and I bought it at Walmart in the sports depts. several years ago..
The people who don't fill in the holes or just do a bad job at it could be one answer for the problems. another is just local gov't being difficult about it.
I think it's kind of pathetic that I can't even go to a local park to metal detect. who wants to always trek to the beach..

 

[CincinnatiKid]

This seems to be a growing epidemic. I recently read, some NYC parks are now off limits. One county north of me is a no go too. I also contacted this park administrator. I was told to much recent damage has occurred to the grounds and they had no choice to prohibit detecting?
Peace

 

[Tom_in_CA]

pirimid, I have read through the entire code that you're talking about. And you're right: Nowhere does it say anything about metal detecting as being prohibited. It's only got the obligatory (found in EVERY park's verbage across the USA) stuff about "disturbing", "altering", etc...

But none of that necessarily equates to "no metal detecting". All such verbage inherently applies to the END result. If you leave no trace, then presto, you have not alterED or defacED anything, now have you ? ? Oh sure, anyone can come up and debate semantics with you about that if they want. Fine then, avoid that type person and go at lower traffic times. Because if the day comes when you and I think that type stuff means "no metal detecting", is the day you can simply stop detecting any public property anywhere in the entire USA. Because gauranteed: all land has rules forbidding "vandalism", "destruction", "removing", etc.... You might as well give up and stick to private land, if those things spook you.

But as you can plainly see: there is no lack of people detecting at places where there are prohibition against "mayhem" "molesting", and so forth. You can certainly debate the person to alert them that you aren't leaving any trace. But you're going to fight a loosing battle of semantics. So just go at odd-ball off times. Ie.: Sunday late, or federal holidays when workers are off, etc.... Or quite frankly, it's gotten to the point where I do most of my park turf hunting at night. So peaceful. So serene!

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Ah, but now I see the evil word "dig" in there. I hadn't look deep enough, and had merely seen the "alter" and "disturb" type words.

STILL THOUGH, I would make the same distinction: dig versus dug. Yes I realize this won't win a battle of semantics with an authority figure, most-likely. But if you want to start down that route, NEITHER WILL THE semantics of "alter" versus "altered" win the semantics debate with a lot of people . Ok, so be it. Then as I say, you & I avoid those type persons.

Here's another reason why I don't take the "dig" word as *necessarily* precluding md'ing (and ... yes.... "digging" to get the target): Because it is very common for persons to get permission to detect AND dig, at parks where such specific verbage exists! What I mean is: that even though I'm not a fan of asking permission (lest you risk the no-one-cared-till-you-asked psychology), yet the fact remains that there ARE persons who have gotten permission in their cities, by simply going in and asking. And get this: those "yes's" have often occurred where that very terminology exists. So the desk-jocky or park's guy would say something like "as long as you cover your spots and leave no marks"

Hmm, ok then, think about it: Is it *really* possible for any city person to give you "permission" to "break laws"? For example: If you walk in to the highway patrol tomorrow and ask : "Hi, can I exceed the speed limit and ignore stop signs?". What do you think they will tell you? Naturally they will tell you "no", right? Why? Because they CAN NOT give anyone the authority to break laws!! So what does that tell you then, about this "dig" rule/law then? To me it says that it IS "up for interpretation". Lest no one could have told you that it *really* doesn't apply .

 

[lookindown]

I detect soccer fields using a screwdriver to poke shallow targets. I don't dig on them. So there should never be a law saying no detecting, only no digging. The sad part is that even if you dig a plug and put it back, you do no damage, while the soccer players tear the field all to hell with their cleats. Metal detecting is associated with digging the place up.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

lookindown, ha ! I've heard this attempt at the "pop" (or probe, or slit, or whatever) as being different from "digging". The logic is: that if you only use a screwdriver to make a slit, and fish your fingers in the slit to reach the target, then *technically* you haven't "dug". You've only "popped" or whatever term you care to use. The logic being, that you didn't take our, displace, or remove dirt (in theory), hence you haven't "dug".

But seriously now lookindown, don't you agree that this too, is nothing more than a game of semantics too ? No less up for some busy-body's scrutiny than my "alter" versus "alterED" position. Or "dig" versus "dug", and so forth. Also this "pop" method won't work for coins deeper than 4" or so. Well, it might, but if we're honest with ourselves: by the time you get 6" down, you're going to end up (gasp) getting loose crumbs above the ground, and making a bigger scar/mess than if you'd simply gone and cut the plug or flap to begin with! haha

I'm not saying I disagree with you. Heck, I would probably just go ahead and dig TO BEGIN WITH, haha. But just saying that anyone, if they wanted, could take issue with you so much as parting the grass (to say that "disturbs the foilage", etc...). So the best tactic is to DISPENSE with all this nonsense semantics to begin with, and just avoid those type lookie-lous who might object, from the git-go. Only if there were a specific rule that said "no metal detecting". Otherwise, things about vandalize, molest, alter, deface, and dig, well .... go ahead and sue me. Those rules exist on every speck of public land. Even beaches I bet, if you asked long enough and hard enough of enough lawyers. But as you can plainly see, that doesn't seem to preclude anyone from detecting beaches, does it ?

 

[lookindown]

Im talking about places with posted signs that say no metal detecting. They should say no digging, because you can metal detect and recover targets without digging. On sports fields, I only recover shallow targets, anything over 3 inches I leave in the ground. Im basically looking for recent drops in the grass. The only reason the signs go up is because they think detecting means digging. They have no idea you can detect and recover targets without digging.

 

[pirimid]

pirimid, I have read through the entire code that you're talking about. And you're right: Nowhere does it say anything about metal detecting as being prohibited. It's only got the obligatory (found in EVERY park's verbage across the USA) stuff about "disturbing", "altering", etc...

But none of that necessarily equates to "no metal detecting". All such verbage inherently applies to the END result. If you leave no trace, then presto, you have not alterED or defacED anything, now have you ? ? Oh sure, anyone can come up and debate semantics with you about that if they want. Fine then, avoid that type person and go at lower traffic times. Because if the day comes when you and I think that type stuff means "no metal detecting", is the day you can simply stop detecting any public property anywhere in the entire USA. Because gauranteed: all land has rules forbidding "vandalism", "destruction", "removing", etc.... You might as well give up and stick to private land, if those things spook you.

But as you can plainly see: there is no lack of people detecting at places where there are prohibition against "mayhem" "molesting", and so forth. You can certainly debate the person to alert them that you aren't leaving any trace. But you're going to fight a loosing battle of semantics. So just go at odd-ball off times. Ie.: Sunday late, or federal holidays when workers are off, etc.... Or quite frankly, it's gotten to the point where I do most of my park turf hunting at night. So peaceful. So serene!

That is one way to go about it....although, like I previously mentioned even though the words "metal detecting in not allowed" after speaking with two separate people who represent the county and one city why go through the hassle of doing all of that when it clearly is not allowed...most of the workers don't bother me but, as it happened one employee mentioned it to me so I wanted to get to the bottom of it. I think it's sad that a relaxing "Hobby" is not allowed in a park...ridiculous.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

...most of the workers don't bother me but, as it happened one employee mentioned it to me so I wanted to get to the bottom of it.....

primid, ok so some city employee comes up to tell you: "you can't do that". And this caused you to go "seek clarification" right? So you ask long enough and hard enough, and someone can come up with "no digging" and "no alterations" type verbage as their proof of that. Right? Ok, let me save you some time in the future: No need to go clarify anything. Because I can tell you right now, that all such wording exists in EVERY single park and speck of public land in the entire USA. Even if not the evil "dig" word, yet something similar, that they can simply tell you applies to your "pressing question".

So if you ask me, an isolated incident like this (you yourself say no one else ever cared), is to be treated exactly like that: An isolated incident. Avoid just that one lookie-lou in the future. Certainly he works only 8 to 5 hrs. as park maintenance person, eh ? Because if you go seeking clarifications, etc..., you will often time only further the problem. I mean, what if this "pressing question" gets passed back and forth between various other city workers there too (who never paid any mind to you in the past), are now given a B.O.L. and made-aware of some supposed evil on your part?

Yes I know it's no fun to go at ... uh .... better times, or feel like there's any one persons to steer clear of. Yes it would be much more "inviting" if there were neon signs saying "metal detecting welcome here", and if archies rolled out red carpets for us. But I got news for you: It aint gonna happen. Our hobby has admitted connotations. So ... it's a little like nose-picking: not necessarily illegal, but sheesk, don't we all sort of pick discreet times so as not to offend people ? Same thing here.

 

[Rawhide]

Just quit wasting your tourism dollars in Florida, and move if your unlucky enough to live there.

 

[Msbeepbeep]

Like lookindown, I'm not digging with my screw driver, I'm aerating the soil!
Two can play the word game!