Florida is essentially eliminating Treasure Hunting July 1, 2012

[aquanut]

Everyone here needs to read the post in the "Shipwrecks" section titled "Put away your metal detectors sheeple"
This legislation all but eliminates TH'ing AND MD'ing in the State as of July 1, 2012. For those of you that don't care what happens in Florida.... You're next!
Aquanut

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[seeker41]

Aquanut,

We're ok. It says that it has be Public Lands and declared an Archaeological Site. It must be declared both and there is an entire process that has to be gone through before any area is declared archaeologically sensitive.

The important part is that all Public Lands do not automatically become an archaeological site subject to this bill.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention though. We need our watchdogs out there and I totally missed this one.

we need a lawyer to decipher this(i cant read that crap) and make sure we as detectorists are ok! also, no further restrictions are being put into place on treasurehunters who use a boat, snorkel or scuba. whats new in this that is not allready in place?

[seeker41]

just e-mailed the senators and hope it is not a waste of my time.
********* we need a lawer to read the legal mumbo-jumbo and then contact the news media and raise a big stink about this!!!!!!!!! i think thats the only way anything will get done.***********
chuck

[aquanut]

First, I've been watching us lose our rights over the past twenty years. This bill is open to too many options. You need to pay close attention to what signumops is saying! Follow the thread in the shipwreck Section. You can get the info on who to contact there.
They have already passed the bill and it is up for review tomorrow to possibly finalize it. Lawyers interpret the law differently. That's why we have so many!
Here is the only response I got out of noifying all the state senators:



Dear Mr. Redman,

Thanks very much for writing me regarding Senate Bill 868, Archaeological Sites and Specimens, sponsored by Senator Alan Hays (R-Umatilla). I greatly appreciate you writing and sharing with me your views on this legislation.

As you may know, Senate Bill 868 passed unanimously in the Government Oversight and Accountability Senate Committee and is now waiting to be heard in the Budget Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, Economic Development, a committee on which I sit. I will certainly keep your views in mind when it comes before this committee.

Again, thanks for writing me. Your comments, criticisms and guidance help me be a better Senator for Northwest Florida.

Respectfully,

Senator Don Gaetz

If you're going to do something, do it today!

[Smudge]

I have looked at this again, and Aquanut has a point.

To attempt to remove even a specimen from state sovereignty lands (read that: beach) makes it a crime.

It does not even have to be a designated archaeological site.

That is disturbing.

I'm writing my state representatives right now. I hope we're not too late.

I'd suggest everyone else do the same.

[TORRERO]

So, are you saying that all those guys on the beach looking for pocket change will be arrested if
they dig up a nickel, dime or quarter ?
What if we dig a pulltab, do we get a fine ?

Not understanding this ....

We will get arrested on a tourist beach looking for pocket change ?

[Smudge]

If the state considers it an "archaeological specimen" then yes, you are breaking the law.

[Smudge]

Ok, here is what I wrote to my Representatives:

"I am writing you regarding SR 868, which is slated to be passed very soon.

Please do what you can to oppose it.

Under this new law, if a someone swinging a metal detector on a beach
(a hobby with attracts THOUSANDS of tourists a year to Florida)
finds anything that can be interpreted as an artifact, even in areas not designed as an archaeological site,
they would be guilty of breaking the law.

To put it simply, that strikes me as absolutely ludicrous.

While I respect the need to protect archaeological sites, this bill is so draconian and overreaching in its scope,
it makes me question this state's commitment to smaller, less invasive government.

Not to mention the chilling effect this bill will have on a significant
number of tourists who flock to our beaches every year and keep our local businesses afloat.

I hope you can use your considerable influence to block this bill until it can be revised to something far more reasonable."

[Sandman]

Torrero, Thats the rub. It states no detecting on the beaches period. Makes no difference if you are only looking for pocket change, you are detecting which will be out lawed. Now the police can come down on anyone with a detector anytime they want and collect fines. You might be OK one day and get nailed the next and it won't matter how many pull tabs you will have in your pouch. It will be an archeology site even though they don't plan a dig. Those that don't want to get involved in writing letters may as well start collecting four leaf clovers as a hobby.

Smudge, thats a nice letter.

[TORRERO]

I don't know...
Just seems to me that this is WAY WAY over blown...
I went and read the bill, I'm no Lawyer but I did not see anything in this that said "Metal Detecting on any Florida Beaches is now outlawed and you will be imediatly arrested"

You know, you guys might be right, but I find it real hard to believe that the Police will be on the beaches of Florida just waiting to arrest us as soon as we step foot out there with our detectors.

And all these comments about finding a 50 year old coin and being arrested and so forth and so on...
do you guys know how rediculous you sound ?

Who is going to be standing next to you to determine if you have that coin ?
If your selling it, who determines if it came from the ground or your Gandma's collection or a coin shop
down the street ?

Just sounds like you guys are blowing this way out of the zoo.....
you make it sound like the Gestapo just landed on the beaches of Florida...

[Shambler]

Hmmm - it doesn't seem to read like your panic does. If it's going to be enforced like you're insinuating, I have to be honest, that folks posting their high-dollar finds every day can only blame themselves. Doing so has attracted thousands (if not more) to the hobby that are often seen on a beach with 100 swimmers and 15 detectors. It's gotten crazy.

[rocky raccoon]

ever since the rat moved down in the 70's,

[DewGuru]

I have to be honest, that folks posting their high-dollar finds every day can only blame themselves.

The run of the mill ring posted hardly qualifies as blame placement. It's the hoopla surrounding the "salvagers" -- Fisher spanked them moons ago, the loop holes were closed, and the events as of late surrounding the Spaniards and odyssey substantiates it.

[Buff4]

Aquanut, I'm not from Florida in fact I'm 1800 miles away in New England. If you can post some contact info on this senator, I would surely speak up for you guys... Enough is enough with these Archies. I do beleive in the shipwreck sites that are under contract, but on the beach...that's going overboard.
I'll even make it sound like I'm cancelling my family trip to Florida this August, because of this law (if passed).
Just give me the word.
HH

[aquanut]

Buf
All the info is posted under "Shipwrecks".
All may want to know... This bill was not made public until it had already passed in the Government Oversight and
Accountability Senate Committee although it was introduced last Fall.
Another underhanded way of getting laws passed. It goes before the Budget Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism,
Economic Development today for finalization.

aquanut

[aquanut]

One other thing. If the low response I'm seeing here is any indication of this groups attitude. We're screwed.

[Jack Straw]

Reads vaguely enough to be applied to alot of conditions. very slippery sloopy to me......this is concerning to me.

[scrounger d detector collector]

Buf
All the info is posted under "Shipwrecks".
All may want to know... This bill was not made public until it had already passed in the Government Oversight and
Accountability Senate Committee although it was introduced last Fall.
Another underhanded way of getting laws passed. It goes before the Budget Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism,
Economic Development today for finalization.

aquanut

so what ur saying is it only became public 2 days before being voted on

[aquanut]

yep

[davest]

and that folks, is the way it's done here in sunny Florida.

It probably started with a legislator looking out of his Naples condominium window and saying, "Honey, who is that
rif raf digging in our beach? Oh, we can't have those unwashed simpletons traipsing through hither and yon picking
up our treasures"

and the rest is law.

this state is a joke when it comes to government and I'm gonna leave it at that although I will tell you that back in the 70s there was a jetty people fished off of near the St. Petersburg pier, one day the mayor looked out of his 16th story condo and decided those people ruined his vision of the bay and within two days the jetty was closed to the public, and that was after 20 years of use.