Brevard County Florida planning on banning --- UPDATE UPDATE

[mfitzy111]

Re: Brevard County Florida planning on banning

Unless a city or county park has a specific sign saying "No Metal Detecting" I detect it and I do not ask ahead of time or at the gate for permission to hunt it. I pay enough in taxes to use public parks.....

I didn't ask permission to throw a fresbie or play football at a public park when I was younger, I am not asking permission to metal detect now. No sign saying I can't detect, I'm detecting...............

I agree. if it's posted I'll follow the rules and go some place else - if it's not posted - no harm no foul- besides I fill my holes- and if they can 'prove' I trashed some thing I'm wrong and should be fined...I try really hard to leave no messes, and not make people annoyed at my being around places I go...anyhow hoping my next few places will be off in the woods at a ghost town /as not to deal with bad people...

 

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[Connecticut Sam]

We in Connecticut have our own problems. In state parks we are allow to search on dirt, but only on beaches and no detecting in state and federal forests. Which is outrageous.

 

[George (MN)]

Brevard Co. "illegal" signs saying detecting illegal! Wonder who made them up but glad it's OK to detect.

Most bans that some claim exist really don't. Sometimes a ban only applies to 1 park or a portion of 1 park, or there is historical protection for a building in a park, etc. Or somebody told to leave for causing damage, but others may detect neatly. Is it a city or county ban? Who owns park? Confusion/rumors likely.

In St. Pete (several years ago) I detected one of the city-owned waterfront parks for about an hour, probing the grass with a screwdriver, got a handful of coins, no complaints. I'll admit I don't know if cutting a plug would be allowed. St Pete has a large city park that's probably off limits as archaeological site (Native American artifacts found- see city website).

St Pete got some really bad PR recently: "St. Petersburg, meanest city in USA" (police ripped up tents of homeless, was the claim). Are detectorists still safe?

As for parks owned by Pinellas County, there is one just outside St Pete that is off-limits as historical, because it saw activity in 2 major wars. I'd say to check website to see if it says no detecting at other parks.

If website doesn't say no detecting & park signs don't say no detecting, city & county parks are probably OK to detect neatly. Damage laws would still apply, of course, but the no digging or disturbing the soil laws are something that pre-dates detectors & most places make an exception for us. If they do have such signs posted, maybe asking some rec activities guy is good. HH, George (MN)

 

[oneeye]

Re: Brevard County Florida planning on banning

...I don't see why metal detectorists won't stand up for each other. Why can't we get 100 or more people to join together to confront city hall or anything? It's not like you can be arrested or fined, it's not a demonstration.

In my experience, treasure hunters are individualistic and secretive by nature. I have been involved in trying to organize recreational (who HATE that term!) gold prospectors. Forget about it! We all talk a good game, but we are TOO busy looking for treasure to fight City Hall. Counter intuitive, right?

Sorry, but I am tired of bowing to "political correctness" and having to hide behind 'touchy-feely' labels for fear of offending someone. I also hunt with guns and bows and "kill" what I shoot; I do not "harvest" anything.

Great thread, but the political correctness thing really irritates me.
Dan

 

[W6PEA]

Re: Brevard County Florida planning on banning

...I don't see why metal detectorists won't stand up for each other. Why can't we get 100 or more people to join together to confront city hall or anything? It's not like you can be arrested or fined, it's not a demonstration.

In my experience, treasure hunters are individualistic and secretive by nature. I have been involved in trying to organize recreational (who HATE that term!) gold prospectors. Forget about it! We all talk a good game, but we are TOO busy looking for treasure to fight City Hall. Counter intuitive, right?

Sorry, but I am tired of bowing to "political correctness" and having to hide behind 'touchy-feely' labels for fear of offending someone. I also hunt with guns and bows and "kill" what I shoot; I do not "harvest" anything.



Dan

X2
Why do we have press 1 to speak English in the United States of America?
Great thread, but the political correctness thing really irritates me.

 

[Zephyr]

Could always give the commissioners some 'positive reinforcement' about allowing detecting by showing them a large haul of dangerous finds: "Look at all these syringes and (other nasty sharp metal objects) we found buried in the parks and beaches. The only other things that could have found these were bare feet!"

 

[RRich]

Nice going Ray. Rules and regulations here in Florida are getting crazy. It's good to see someone testing the system and coming out on the high end.

 

[coinshooter]

The best one I read recently was someone who said they keep an old rusty needle wrapped up in their pouch. If they get harrased, they pull it out and show it to the person giving them grief. They say they just found it detecting. At that point the person giving them a hassle usually tells them they can continue. Not a bad idea as long as you don't stick yourself!

 

[W6PEA]

The best one I read recently was someone who said they keep an old rusty needle wrapped up in their pouch. If they get harrased, they pull it out and show it to the person giving them grief. They say they just found it detecting. At that point the person giving them a hassle usually tells them they can continue. Not a bad idea as long as you don't stick yourself!

I like that good statement.

 

[EagleDown]

The best one I read recently was someone who said they keep an old rusty needle wrapped up in their pouch. If they get harrased, they pull it out and show it to the person giving them grief. They say they just found it detecting. At that point the person giving them a hassle usually tells them they can continue. Not a bad idea as long as you don't stick yourself!

I like that good statement.

If you're in my area, you don't have to bring one along for "protection", it shouldn't take more than a few minutes for you to find one.

I know it's not really funny, but drug abuse is really bad in most of CA.

 

[W6PEA]

The best one I read recently was someone who said they keep an old rusty needle wrapped up in their pouch. If they get harrased, they pull it out and show it to the person giving them grief. They say they just found it detecting. At that point the person giving them a hassle usually tells them they can continue. Not a bad idea as long as you don't stick yourself!

I like that good statement.

If you're in my area, you don't have to bring one along for "protection", it shouldn't take more than a few minutes for you to find one.

I know it's not really funny, but drug abuse is really bad in most of CA.

You hit that square on the nail head for sure.......just take a walk in any public park close to where I am

 

[EagleDown]

Not only parks!!

Up until recently, I had a 28' motorhome I kept parked in my business parking lot. When I decided to sell it, I cleaned out the inside, then went outside and checked the service hatches. I opened the one to the refridgerator and got the shock of my life. There was an envelope that obviously had something in it. I carefully opened it, (kinda hoping it was a stack of $100 bills ) imagine my disbelief when I found it contained 7 hypodermic syringes w/needles.

I know they weren't there a couple of weeks earlier when I checked the refridgerator to make sure it worked properly.

 

[wtwtw]

I keep the metal shaft of a dart I found at a tot lot, a fishing lure with three hooks found at the beach and a piece of glass in my pouch in case some one says some thing deragatory I can show them what I found.

 

[fishbone3d]

Wow! I am glad that my advice is actually being read. It feels good that people actually listened to me about the syringe that I keep. It has saved my butt many times. Any time that I go for permission for a public place, I bring it along with some other nasty sharpies. The look on an officer's face is priceless when you pull that out. A lot of things go through their minds really quickly. Good luck in all of your hunts folks!

 

[TDigsDenver]

I call myself a Metals Recycler. Anything I don't use, I dispose of properly. People love the term "recycle".

 

[Viddy]

never had any run ins yet in western Pennsylvania.... BUT.... if I do, I'll just follow the path that I did when we played 'pond hockey' in the parks and all of a sudden a few people got 'chips on their shoulders' for some reason. I guess they were not having fun like us or understood hockey...

-start getting names. make sure they know you are getting their names.
-ask who they report too
-usually these people report to 'elected' positions and they don't want to take the chance of ANYONE below them 'stirring the kettle', you know? ESPECIALLY with local people! (local board member actually called maintenance and had them leave the park lights on so we could play at night, cause I said we had a TON of people that were going to be upset with him and this decision he was 'representing'.... get it?...LOL)
-don't be harsh, don't be rude, but be direct.

just my advice

 

[hurricane dale]

ha.. you are lucky because if you come down here to miami-dade,broward or palm beach counties you are out of luck.. if the police catch you digging, probing, or anything in connection of metal detecting you will be arrested on 1st degree misd...ive seen it..dont understand why people have this fascination of going into these of parks down here ..they know it too.. but, they think can sneek in after hours and get away with it.. there are miles and miles of beaches down here that are legally to be detected.. all south florida metal detectorists stay away from the schools and parks.. it illegal players... also, they arrested one guy 2 weeks ago here in miami for having a metal lesche while on a school ground on a sunday.. he got hit with a felony.. for carrying a weapon on to a school property..eventhough there are no children there its still considered a weapon..hunt the beaches and do it the right way like i do.. if you need the extra money that bad go to UPS,FED-EX,PUBLIX,ATT phone salesman ,ETC... they are hiring for a measly 9 bucks an hour

 

[TAINO]

A LITTLE ANGRY WITH WHAT IS HAPPENING. I can say I'm having the same here in Kissimmee FL. Some people do not want to understand that there are rules follow. Please follow the rules so that people like this Hobby may continue enjoying.

 

[Eli]

well going down fighting is a good way to help future md enthusiests.

 

[YosamiteDig]

I pissed someone off on another forum about their video when I mentioned the proper way to dig a plug. I didn't intentionally mean to piss em off. Just trying to look out for the hobby. I posted a good video on the correct way to dig without killing the grass or having the plug come up when the grass gets mowed. It pissed em off so bad they deleted the whole thread. So much for passing along good info and trying to be informative.
I learned the technique by watching videos and reading and it didn't piss me off. I hope they get over it instaed of stew about it.