state of florida changin rules

[vulcan007]

The recent postins about the state of florida rule changes for salvaging shipwrecks had me thinkin hard about this situation.

It seems that the state of florida is playin a game with us.

Did anyone at the meetin last week ask the state officials why they want to put us out of business with the new rules?

I believe that we can togither fight this unfair decision by tha state.

Here is a list of suggestions to tackle this isssue:

1. Band together (join forces) and present a united front
2. Get organized
3. Will need legal help. Are there attornays among Tnet forem that can help?
4. Look at what othar states have done to fight similar state rulins. Request help from other Thrs in othar states.
5. Leave emotions aside when approaching state officials. Speak with passion and conviction. For example the rules have not changed in more then 30 years and why now is state interestd in limitin salvagin operations?
6. Enlist help from metal detector dealers (i.e. kellyco) and manufacturers (i.e. fisher, garrett, minelab, whites, othars).
7. Enlist help from business community supportive of treasure huntars in Florida
8. Offer state of florida a proposal they cannot refuse (somethin unexpected that shows goodwill of treasure huntin community). For example, invite archaeologists to talk or agree to give 10% of findins to museums or university marine reasearch.

Tha state needs tha revenue from taxes paid by tha salvagin companies. Tha state doesn't have the money to fund all salvagin projects or reaserch shipwrecks. Private industry has tha resources and expertise for this task. Tha state will benefit by workin togethr with tha salvagin companies not against tham.

This is doable! do not let a few state officials and closed minded archaelogists take away tha foundations of the salvagin industry in florida.

Vulcan

 

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[fllawboy]

Vulcan,
You are absolutely right that this matter can be fought and resolved to the benefit of everyone involved. The key problem is that everyone would have to band together and fight as a united front. That means that there would have to be more dialogue between everyone who is impacted by this rule change. It is not enough to vent on this board or others on the internet. Everyone who has an interest in this needs to focus their energy on solutions and not complaints. The only way to do that is to organize and come up with a unified plan of attack. That plan of attack will most likely involve some form of litigation, some level of lobbying, and some level of public education.

From reading the other posts it appears that there is already a group formed that is attempting to do this, however it is unclear how far they have progressed in dealing with this issue. I attempted to reach out to an individual that was involved on this board and appeared to be involved in this group but was completely ignored, not even so much as a response to a pm that I sent. So I have no idea where they currently stand or what assistance they need or want..

That being said, I think there is room for more than one organized effort to deal with this situation. I think there should be a concerted effort to build an organization in Florida that is made up of not only the professional treasure hunters, but also the recreational treasure hunters like myself. This organization should develop a workable proposal similar to what is currently used in England. Obviously, there would have to be some changes to the system to better deal with the unique issues in Florida, but the English system seems to be the only model for a working cooperative system between the State-Archeologists-Treasure Hunters. IMHO.

This thread is a great starting point, but a formal organization needs to be formed, that will raise the necessary funds to fight the battle that lies ahead. Inaction on this will result in negative state action that no one will be able to live with.

 

[FISHEYE]

The only thing left to do is sue them for tens of billions of dollars that will be lost if we cant take treasure off of shipwrecks.You can talk to them till you are blue in the face and send in all the letters you want,they will just file them in the nearest wastebasket or thier trash on thier computers.The only thing that threatens anyone or a state is a very large LAWSUIT!Lawsuits make headlines in local,national and world newspapers and news stations all over the world.Plus its free advertising.This can be a class action lawsuit.I for one will tend to lose at least 3-5 million dollars worth of treasure found in my lifetime.How much will you all lose? Start adding it up.

 

[fllawboy]

Fisheye,
I agree with you that many times a lawsuit is the only way to make state agencies take notice of a situation and do the right thing. The problem with lawsuits is that they are usually very expensive and take a long time to get to a resolution. I think a statistic I saw recently said that your average case takes 3 years from the day it is filed to the day it goes to trial. In a massive case, as this one would be I think you are looking at even longer. That being said, that should not deter anyone from this course of action, it is just something that needs to be taken into consideration when contemplating legal action. That is why in a situation such as this a multi-prong attack is most likely the best approach. File the lawsuit, begin that process. Form a lobbying attack and start bending the ears of every politician you can. Start a public awareness program, educate the public. The plain truth of the matter is that all of this will cost money, will require the efforts of countless individuals, and the determination of everyone involved to see it through to the end, no matter what the result.

The other issue here will be damages, will they be speculative or is there a way to prove each salvor's losses? Just something to think about.

Best regards

 

[vulcan007]

who's behind tha state of fla rule changes? why now aftar 30 or mor yrs?

tha treasura huntin community need to fila a lawsuit against tha state soon to put a stop to this abuse of power by state officials. Tha state is lookin more like a dictership then a free market democricy!

what happend to tha belief in freedom and tha pursuit of happiness? evry day this looks more lika russia or a socialist nation.

the treasura huntin community need to join forces and fight this unfair and contradictin salvaging laws!

V

 

[Zephyr]

Well, if you're going to organize, you need a catchy acronym:

O.S.C.A.R.

Off-Shore Commercial / Archeaological Recovery (followed by "association", "society", or other similar word to show that you are an organized group with common interests.)

 

[mnm]

Or U1stAgents.Net , : ) Had to post my two cents

 

[pcolaboy]

How about FISHER, Federation of Independent Salvors for Historic Entity Recovery ?

Mel would certainly love it and the mere mention of that name makes archies shake in their fuzzy little slippers.

Pcola

 

[vulcan007]

ahoy mates!

what is the laetest update to tha state rulin changes? have not seen new postin on this...

V

 

[Trez]

and we must not forget rule #9 ... spell check before anything is sent into State.
Other than that great post.......

Here is a list of suggestions to tackle this isssue:

1. Band together (join forces) and present a united front
2. Get organized
3. Will need legal help. Are there attornays among Tnet forem that can help?
4. Look at what othar states have done to fight similar state rulins. Request help from other Thrs in othar states.
5. Leave emotions aside when approaching state officials. Speak with passion and conviction. For example the rules have not changed in more then 30 years and why now is state interestd in limitin salvagin operations?
6. Enlist help from metal detector dealers (i.e. kellyco) and manufacturers (i.e. fisher, garrett, minelab, whites, othars).
7. Enlist help from business community supportive of treasure huntars in Florida
8. Offer state of florida a proposal they cannot refuse (somethin unexpected that shows goodwill of treasure huntin community). For example, invite archaeologists to talk or agree to give 10% of findins to museums or university marine reasearch.

 

[nudels]

Well, if you're going to organize, you need a catchy acronym:

O.S.C.A.R.

Off-Shore Commercial / Archeaological Recovery (followed by "association", "society", or other similar word to show that you are an organized group with common interests.)

Off-Shore-Commercial/Archaeological-Recovery Assocation

OSCAR Ass.